The Perfect Enemy
by Danielle Anderson
Summary: Sometimes the perfect enemy is the only one you can relate to. Raito/L
1. Prologue

Title: The Perfect Enemy  
Author: Danielle Anderson  
Rating: T (for now)  
Pairing: Raito/L  
Summary: Sometimes the perfect enemy is the only one you can relate to.  
Disclaimer: I do not own _Death Note_

Beta: SunMoonandSpoon  
Warnings: AU, diverging somewhere in episode 25; genderswitch

I'm dead as dead can be  
The doctor tells me  
But I just can't believe him  
Ever the optimistic one  
I'm sure of your ability  
To become my perfect enemy  
A Perfect Circle, "Passive"

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.

This one was worth _countless_.

That was the thought that entered Raito's mind when he stared down at the photo in his hands, lips curving into an evil smile, brown eyes resting on the pale images. The photograph was old and faded, its edges worn out but he thought that it would be enough. It would be enough to finally bring down the most annoying and most difficult obstacle in his path.

He had just never thought that it would be this easy.

There were rushes of stretchers outside the hospital room. It was a dim _woosh_ in the back of his mind because he was too immersed in standing in the corner and looking at the picture.

Oh, this picture, the clue that he had been awaiting so long, the final piece of the puzzle that would facilitate him becoming the ruler of this rotten world and bringing about a new golden age. He looked up only when he heard the click of the door closing to shut out the noise.

Matsuda smiled nervously at him. "I thought the silence would be good," he said sheepishly and Raito nodded. Making sure that no one saw (and everyone else was too busy worrying about Watari, anyway), he quickly slipped the photograph into the inside breast pocket of his jacket.

L was standing near Watari's bed as the latter lay unconscious against the pillow, hooked up on various medical machines. There was a look of apprehension on the detective's face that Raito didn't think anyone would often see. He liked to think that L had just a few limited expressions that ranged from bored to confused and then smug. He didn't think that he had ever seen her anxious before.

Then again, there was a first time for everything,

Mr Yagami came to stand beside him, his wrinkles more pronounced due to worry. His hair was disheveled and his tie was loose and Raito noticed that he bore an undesirable likeness to the insomniac detective. Hmm.

"The doctors say he'll make it," he said to Raito in a low voice. "It's just the stress from working too much – just like what happened to me a couple of months ago."

Raito nodded, seeming relieved.

"At least it isn't Kira."

Raito hid a self-satisfied smirk. Sure, it may not have been Kira but he was damn fortunate to have the diversion and to find that the spirit named Rem was not so stupid after all.

Originally, he had been looking for a way to finish off both Rem and Ryuuzaki but with this, it looked like he could put the both of them to some use.

He took a look at Watari and thought, _Foolish old man_.

He went forward and lay a comforting hand on L's bony shoulder. She looked up at him from under inky bangs. Her dark eyes were unreadable to a stranger but he could clearly see how troubled she was.

He didn't sympathize with her.

"He's going to be fine, Ryuuzaki," he said in a reassuring voice that would have deceived any lesser person. But L was L and maybe she felt that something was wrong, although she didn't know what.

She was going to find out soon.

"Thank you, Raito-kun," she answered with a little nod, her voice huskier than usual and she turned back to look at Watari.

What did she think she could achieve just by looking at him?

"Perhaps Yagami-kun would like to go home and rest now?" she suggested without looking at him.

He was taken aback by her proposal. Months of spending every waking moment by her side, handcuffing like a freaking pet had nearly made him forget that there could be a life where he was not bound to her. Inside, he was itching to get out of the hospital, go to Misa and find out her name so that he could finally get a move on his plan. But out of sheer politeness (and trying not to seem suspicious), he said graciously, "It's okay, Ryuuzaki, I don't mind staying here. I'd like to do everything I can to help."

L said nothing to that but Mr Yagami spoke up.

"No, Raito, she's right," he said. "You need to rest. You should go home. I'm sure your mother and sister will be glad to see you."

Oh, yes. His mom and Sayu. He'd almost forgotten about them. "But what about you, dad?" he asked, continuing to play the part of the caring son.

"Don't worry about me. I'll find a couch in the waiting room."

Raito doubted that but he didn't argue. He had more important matters to deal with and it would certainly facilitate things for him if they were giving him leave. He nodded to them and told them to take care and went out the room. Mogi and Aizawa were sitting outside and they stood up when they saw him.

"Any news?" asked Aizawa. He was the one who'd found Watari unconscious in the control room and called the others. For a moment, Raito had actually thought that Rem had done something but he saw now that it was just the old man's heart condition.

"They say he'll be fine," said Raito. "He just needs some rest."

"Where are you going?" Mogi wanted to know. It was just a simple question but any wrong move could cost Raito dearly.

"Ryuuzaki and dad told me to go rest," he explained with a small, easy smile. He shrugged. "I figured I could finally see my mom and Sayu."

"Okay." The two policemen bade him farewell and he left the hospital building with a devilish smile and an evil glint in his eyes.

Things were finally looking up for him.

As he stepped out into the open sky, he looked up and saw Ryuk flying around, aimless that he was. Soon, the seven-foot tall spirit landed beside him, a shark-like grin on his scary face.

"What's up?" he asked.

"You'll soon find out," answered Raito, moving his lips as unnoticeably as possible. He had told Ryuk on several occasions not to address him in public but he guessed that the latter had a feeling that he was up to something and he would fill him up about it later.

That was fine with Raito. Right now, Ryuk was his only consort.

But the spirit refused to be patient, interrupting the young man's cool demeanor when he hailed a taxi.

"Where are we going?" he demanded to know.

"Misa's," said Raito quietly and slipped into the cab to give the hint that he really didn't want to have a conversation right now.

But judging from the way Ryuk was beside him, staring at him expectantly, like a dog wanting a biscuit from his master. Raito realized that the spirit would not be able to wait. With an exasperated sigh, he inconspicuously slipped out the photo and rested it on his palm so that Ryuk could see it.

Ryuk was very surprised for a moment. He hadn't been expecting something like _this_, such an obvious clue, to fall into Raito's path, He looked at the photograph and laughed that hoarse laugh of his.

Raito just smiled again.

The moon was bright tonight, the atmosphere cool from the late afternoon rain. He saw the little puddles of water on the street gleaming the night light, the moon reflected on the shiny surface. When he looked up at the sky, the clouds were slowly moving like waves, the moon playing hide and seek amidst them.

Almost as though she were afraid to see what would happen next.

"So you're gonna show this to Misa, huh?" Ryuk was saying, the words blaring out of his mouth in a cacophony; Raito kept his face blank, hoping that the other would get the hint.

Ryuk glanced at the taxi driver. "Oh...right."

Raito rolled his eyes. All this time, almost a year, and Ryuk was still as thick-headed as ever. Then again, he had a hunch that the spirit often knew more than he would let on, have a few dirty tricks up his sleeve, so he would definitely have to handle Ryuk with caution.

Not that he was afraid of Ryuk.

Raito Yagami was too immersed in achieving his goal to be afraid of anything, especially when he felt that he had nothing to fear.

"Here we are, mister," said the cab driver. Raito handed him a couple of crumpled bill and got out of the car. Ryuk followed.

They were in a deserted street, and it wasn't a very posh part of Tokyo. Raito had expected that with Misa being a model and actress, she would be able to afford a very luxurious place to live in.

But it didn't matter where she lived as long as she was useful to him.

He went up the steps of the apartment building and rang the bell. Ryuk was chuckling as he floated in the air beside him. Raito was tempted to ask him what was so funny but then again, Ryuk was always laughing for some reason or another.

"Who is it?" Misa's voice poured out from the worn-down speaker.

He held the button down. "It's me," he answered curtly, and suppressed a sigh of irritation when she squealed in excitement.

"Come on up!" she cried.

He went up.

Her apartment was small, though neat and tidy, but he didn't care about that now. As soon as she sat beside her on the couch, he produced the photograph. "Look at this," he said.

The petite blonde took the photograph in her well-manicured hand and fixed her gaze on it. And then her mouth dropped open in amazement.

"Where did you get this?" she breathed in wonder.

"Rem," he replied curtly. And before she could say anything else, he changed the subject and went straight for the main reason he was here.

"Give me her name," he demanded, his voice low and urgent, almost _chilling_.

Misa looked at the picture again, her blue eyes resting on the image of a young, dark-haired scrawny woman with a slouching posture.

And then she spoke:

"L Lawliet."

In an instant, Raito's handsome face broke into a wide, evil grin, his brown eyes glittering like jewels with triumph. He said the name in his mind, taking care to pronounce each syllable, as though he were a vampire about to taste the blood of his victim.

_I've won. I finally know her name._

It was the name that had eluded him for months, slipping away each time he thought that he'd finally gotten it. And now, he had it in his grasp, and he would hold onto it like a much sought-after treasure.

_L Lawliet_.

That was her name.

Misa scrunched up her nose, ruining the moment. "That's such a weird name," she remarked.

Under different circumstances, Raito would have rebuked her. Would have been hardly surprised that the model was always so shallow. But now, he was content to ignore her.

"It doesn't matter," he said quietly, staring hard at the picture, at L's image, smiling maliciously. "I finally have what I want."

"Are you going to kill her now?" she asked.

Such things she said.

"That was the plan, wasn't it?" he returned, and then his attention was back to the picture. "Tell me the names of the other two."

"Nate River," she pointed a long raspberry nail at the white-blond boy, "and Mihael Keehl." The latter was another young boy with long golden hair. Raito had thought he was a girl first, but now it didn't matter.

"Excellent," he said approvingly. He took the picture and put it in his pocket, thinking hard about what else he could do with this information.

Ryuk casually flew into the adjoining kitchen and then came back munching a red, red apple. It was distracting to hear him crunch the food like that, but Raito had no time to waste.

He got to his feet, a plan already formulating on his mind.

Misa tilted her chin in alarm. "Where are you going?" she demanded to know but he was in no mood to answer her; she had already served her purpose and if she thought that he was going to hang around in her apartment for a kiss and a cuddle, then she had another think coming.

As he headed for the door, she called after him. "Raito!" She sounded whiny, almost desperate, and he hated that.

He cast a brief glance over his shoulder, a forced gesture of consideration. "I'll talk to you later," he said.

And then, he was gone.

* * *

It looked like it would rain again.

Raito sat quietly in the taxi, Ryuk hanging around him like a dead albatross as he wondered what his next move should be.

He knew L's real name at last and he had mixed feelings over it (_really? L? That was her true first name?_). He used to think that things would be much easier when he had this valuable piece of information: he would simply write her name in the notebook and be done with it. It would be made to look like an accident…though judging from the amount of sugar L consumed on a daily basis, Raito reckoned that he could make her cause of death some severe form of diabetes, and still get away with it.

But now, in the light of not having just her name, but two of her colleagues' (who were those boys in the picture with her? They looked younger than her), he found himself considering a different alternative to doing away with her.

Ryuk had the guts to voice his thoughts:

"You're not really gonna kill her, are you?"

The taxi driver was on the cell phone now, talking to his wife about what they should have for dinner. Raito knew that it was illegal to talk on the phone and drive at the same time, but he didn't think anyone deserved the death penalty for that.

Or that the driver could hear him.

So he answered in a low voice.

"Not right away, at least," he said. Ryuk looked at him quizzically. What did he mean?

And in the next few seconds, it dawned on what he really meant.

Raito smirked, and then said to the driver, "Please make a stop at the nearest sweet shop."

Ryuk stared at him stupidly. "Huh?"

The smirk widened as if to say, _You'll see._

The nearest sweet shop was three blocks away from the hospital. The clouds had appeared again and there was a very light drizzle, which made him think twice about walking the rest of the way. The driver was kind enough to wait for him as he did his shopping.

He bought a small bag of chocolate éclairs, some rice pudding, a little box of strawberries and a bottle of blueberry yogurt drink. Ryuk watched this, his hideous eyes bulging with incredulity.

"What, you have a craving for sweets now?" he exclaimed.

Raito rolled his eyes inconspicuously, his lips barely moving. "They're not for me," he answered with annoyance. "They're for _her_."

"Eh?" this confused Ryuk even more but the young man did not have the patience to elaborate. Why couldn't the spirit just be patient?

By the time he stepped out of the shop, the drizzle had become heavier. The remaining ride took just seven minutes, after which he tipped the driver generously. "Keep the change."

The man looked amazed and happy as he drove off. He had no idea how much he'd helped Raito.

He went to the second floor to the room where he knew Watari to be. The rest of the team were waiting outside the room; Aizawa and Mogi were sitting on two comfortable chairs, dozing, while Matsuda and Mr Yagami had gone to the waiting room to get their rest.

Which meant that only L was inside.

_Perfect_.

Raito rapped his knuckles softly on the door before going in. L wasn't crouching in her usual position, as he had thought she would; she was instead standing near the window and looking out, her attention focused on the little droplets of rain trickling down the glass. For a brief instant, he saw her standing in the rain, hair dripping wet, looking like a lost little girl.

"Ryuuzaki," he nodded a greeting and she nodded back somberly. He shut the door behind him. "Is Watari better now?"

"It's a little too early to tell, isn't it?" she returned, her tone laced with cold humor. "But I am hopeful."

She sure didn't sound like it but he could care less.

"You haven't gotten any rest?" he asked, trying to put on the concerned protégé act. "It's been a long few hours, hasn't it?"

"Yes," she agreed, nodding again, and then she glanced at Watari. "But I don't really feel tired." She turned him, dark eyes penetrating his. "Where has Raito-kun been?"

"I went for a walk," he answered casually, annoyed of how suspicious she suddenly looked. Then again, no matter how much proof she got of his innocence, she would never buy it because she hated to be wrong.

"Some fresh air," he went on. "I feel better now."

"Ah, I see. You didn't go home?"

Inwardly, he clenched his teeth. That blasted detective! Even now, looking for a way to frame him, to know his alibi.

(Well, she did have a point, didn't she?)

"No," he shook his head. "I guess I didn't feel like it. I think I'll go in the morning."

"All right." She glanced at the bags in his hand. "What are those?"

"Oh." Raito pretended to have forgotten about them, "I just stopped at a store and bought you some food."

"Sweet?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes, of course," he gave her a friendly smile, and she followed him uncertainly when he suggested that they should go to a private place where they could talk.

There was an empty room a few doors away, a tidy bed and closed curtains. Someone eyed them suspiciously as they went inside, with the experience of one who knew from prior experience that when a man and a woman enter an empty room in the hospital, they intend to get intimate.

Raito had the pleasure of thinking that the spectator's suspicions were wrong.

He drew the curtains so that the light could stream in. There wasn't much from the moon anyway, save for the street lamps and car headlights. He turned to see what L was doing. She didn't seem inclined to flick a switch.

That was fine by him.

She sat on a chair and lifted her legs up, toes curling in anticipation as he placed the bags before her on the low table.

"Thank you," she said as she opened the boxes and started working on the goods.

Raito nodded indifferently. Her meal would be complete with a cup of tea but he had no intention of getting it. For as comfortable he wanted to make her before breaking the bad news, he didn't want to make her that comfortable.

He watched her daintily (was that even the right word to describe her mannerism?) pick out a strawberry from the box and bite into it, the red flesh gently tinting her mouth. How should he bring up the topic? She wasn't saying anything; she was too busy with the strawberries.

"Where's Rem?" asked L suddenly.

The question surprised Raito. He himself hadn't had time to wonder about Rem. Come to think of it, he hadn't even seen her since she'd passed him the picture.

"I don't know," he told her honestly. "I think she's decided to stay back at the headquarters. Maybe she doesn't want to get involved in all this."

"Hmm." L pensively scooped some rice pudding into her mouth with a plastic spoon. She reminded Raito of a baby. She swallowed. "I had a feeling, when Watari collapsed, that the spirit had something to do with this."

_What an obvious deduction,_ thought Raito. Aloud, he said, "Really?"

"Yes. Watari has always been in good shape for his age. You've seen what a good shot he is," she referred to the night they captured Higuchi.

Raito had to agree with that. Watari was probably in his late seventies, wore glasses, and he could still shoot like a young man.

"It's obviously the stress, isn't it, Ryuuzaki?" he offered with a shrug. "Remember when my dad had a heart attack a couple of months ago? I thought it was Kira, too."

"Yes," said L again. "But it does seem too convenient for Watari to fall ill now, doesn't it?" She chewed a little strawberry, her black eyes full of thought. She mumbled, "I wonder if he found something that he wasn't supposed to…"

This time, Raito rolled his eyes. "Stop being paranoid, Ryuuzaki," he berated. "You've already seen how disinterested the spirit is in human affairs. She doesn't care about what happens with the notebook."

"Or she acts that way because she's trying to protect something," L pointed out, "or someone."

L was not called the best detective in the world for no reason.

"I wonder what she could be hiding," L mused aloud, glancing up at the ceiling as though the answer was hanging there.

Raito's gut told him that there were other things that L suspected, too, but she just wasn't telling him because she still couldn't decide whether he was an ally or not.

(She'd have gone with her instinct if it had been up to her. But where was the proof?)

He smirked behind his hand.

The detective was almost done eating now and she was drinking water from one of the empty bottles lying around. He glanced at his watch. It was almost three in the morning and if he wanted to get his plan moving, then he would have to act now.

"Had a good meal?" he asked, and she said yes and thanked him again. So polite and formal, a mask hiding her interior, which was ruthless and determined to get what she wanted, willing to go the most extreme lengths to prove her point.

He recalled, with some resentment, the fifty-three days that he had been locked up in a cell, hands and feet bound. He recalled Misa's imprisonment and though he did not care for the girl, he had to admit that L was hardly just herself.

And it was now his turn to take her by surprise.

"Do you still think I'm Kira?"

She looked at him sharply…well, as sharply as she could with those dilated pupils, like she wanted to say, _As if you need to ask that_.

It didn't offend him. Rather, it amused him. And what he said to her next was even more shocking.

"You're right," he announced. "I _am_ Kira."

L went very still, the blood draining from her face as she started at him. She made a little noise of surprise, lips parting to speak but he got there first.

"I want you off this case," he instructed her, smoothly. Raito Yagami had always been one to carry out his business gracefully.

"And how do you intend to make me do that?" she retorted, coiling like a deadly snake about to strike.

Naturally, Raito wasn't afraid. He'd already come prepared for the snake's bite with an anti-venom, to ensure that the snake would not bite for a very long time, and would listen to him without a word.

"I'd like you to take a look at this," he brought out the photo and slid it face-down across the table towards her, "_L_." He added that to show his resentment of her, and his power.

She gave him a mistrustful look before picking up the picture.

He waited for her reaction.

Her dark eyes grew impossibly large and in a tight voice, she demanded, "Where did you get this?"

"That's not important," he leaned back, "but I thought you'd be interested to learn that I now know your true name…_L Lawliet_."

The expression on L's face was…vindictive, to say the least. He'd never seen her looking so angry and cornered because she'd always been the kind of person to keep their calm; but he supposed that she had a good reason.

"What do you want, then?" was her question.

"Like I told you," replied Raito calmly. "I want you off the Kira case."

"I didn't think Yagami-kun would consider me so naïve to make me stop investigating just by asking nicely," came the stinging reply.

Raito ignored the jibe. "I also know the name of your two consorts."

She waited to see if he was bluffing or not. And he announced, "Mihael Keehl and Nate River."

This made L turn even paler, if such a thing were indeed possible.

"How –" she began to ask.

"You already know that Kira needs just a name and face to kill," he took the picture out of her hands, just the way he had taken the Death Note in the helicopter, the detective being too dazed to notice. "And now that I have not only your name, but also your acquaintances, I trust that this is reason enough for you to stop the investigation?" He watched her closely, "Because if you don't…then you might have to go to two funerals some time soon."

She met his gaze, her onyx eyes burning with rage. "And Misa is the second Kira, too, isn't she?"

Raito's silence was the answer.

L cast her eyes down, the fire suddenly gone out like a snuff, and for a moment, Raito saw her again, the sad, lost girl on the rooftop, asking if he had ever told the truth in his life.

She had wanted the truth. And now that she finally had it, there was nothing she could do about it.

There was a tightness in his heart, a pang, a shift that he didn't understand but he quickly dismissed it as something unimportant.

"Fine, then," she conceded in a quiet voice.

He was surprised. _You're giving up so easily?_ he wanted to say to her. But to L, he just smiled.

"A very wise decision," he said, approvingly.

L hugged her knees close to her chest and regarded with a touch of wariness and apprehension. "So what are you going to do now?" she wondered. "Kill me?"

He gave a short laugh at the honesty of his question. So the great detective L did harbor human fears.

"Not for the time being, at least," he responded, leaning back against the chair comfortably. "Though, I confess that was my first thought."

"What brought about the change of heart then?" she asked dryly.

He scowled to himself. Yes, indeed. What had brought about the change of heart? It angered him that he didn't really have an answer to that. He had been asking himself the same question for the past few hours and he was starting to think that maybe killing the detective would have been smarter.

"If I give you all the answers now, there won't be much suspense left for later, will there?" It was the most bogus non-response he'd ever given anyone, but L had always had the ability to catch him off-guard and make a fool out him.

Well, now the joke was on _her_.

"You will not be allowed to leave Japan," he informed her suddenly. "Rem will make sure that you don't."

Her gaunt face dawned with another realization. "So Rem was in on this all along," she muttered to herself.

"Apparently so," he answered lazily, and then got to his feet. "I don't need to inform you that you will not confide any of this to the task force."

L glared at him as he continued. "You will remain in Japan as long as I wish, or until I know what to do with you. You are, in other words," his voice dropped, "my slave."

He knew L didn't like the sound of that because she was enslaved by _no one_ but she said nothing. She was looking down at her toes again, very glum, but she had heard him.

"All right," she said, her voice barely audible.

So this was what the big L looked like when she was defeated – quiet and mopey, mumbling her responses as if it hurt to talk. He recalled seeing this before, months ago, when they'd had their fistfight because she was depressed over being wrong about her theory.

But now, when he expected her to protest in rage, to put up a fight, she'd just said some sarcastic words, and then clammed up like an oyster.

Raito shut the door behind him, and walked to the waiting room to check up on his father. He had expected a greater challenge from the one he considered to be the perfect enemy.

A/N: Finally, the first chapter is up!  
Okay, folks, before we go on with this story I'd just like to make a note of things that've changed in this fic, since it's AU. The main things are that Ryuk and Rem are just supernatural spirits, and with their eyes, they can see only names. Raito wants to be the king of the world, and this fic is going to be eventually Raito/L, though how, is a difficult matter.  
I hope you've enjoyed this fic, and do let me know what you think!


	2. Death Mask i

Beta: Must thanks to Viola Canina for proofreading this chapter

The record goes from blue to gold  
So thank you for all your help  
I know you want to jump around  
But try to contain yourself  
You always struck me as the type to take it lightly  
But now you're gonna have to shut your mouth or fight me  
The Dresden Dolls, "Backstabber"

So that was that.

Raito had finally defeated L, getting rid of the greatest obstacle in his path to creating a new world from the ashes of the old, and it had been as easy as taking candy from a baby.

No… it had been easier.

Raito had never thought it would have been as simple as an old _photograph_. True, he'd been furiously devising various ways, trying to come up with a method that would give him L's name.

How long he had worked on it (two years). He recalled so many plans he'd constructed just to throw her off his track and then being so astonished and humiliated when a skinny, eccentric-looking girl sat beside him at the orientation ceremony and introduced herself as the bane of his existence.

He'd never been so taken aback in his life as he had been at that moment, finding that not only had his arch-nemesis bested him, but that she was a _woman_. Looking back on that, he was still surprised that one of the greatest authority figures in the world of law enforcement was female and everyone else was unsuspecting of this. Someday, he would ask the other members of the task force what went through their minds when they'd met L.

He hadn't spoken to her since that morning (he'd just gone home after checking up on his father to get a long, good sleep in his own bed). He hadn't needed to – and besides, what would he have said to her? He had already given her instructions that she'd agreed to obey and as far as Raito was concerned, she could be out of the picture.

For now.

Because he fully knew that L was not the kind of woman to stay down; sooner or later, she would rise again like a phoenix and they would return to sparring, eager to see if one could defeat the other.

Watari was recovering steadily. Raito wasn't sure if he should consider the old man a threat. He didn't really have anything against him, but what made him a risk was L confiding in him.

But Raito, genius that he was, had silently informed her that she was not supposed to speak of their deal with anyone. Though she was far from stupid, he wasn't willing to overlook the tiniest details that might be used against him.

They were standing in Watari's room now. He was propped against the pillows like a mannequin, blue eyes weary behind his glasses and he had a cup of water in his hand. Ryuuzaki was at his side, almost clinging to him as if he could protect her from Kira.

"I'm all right," he was saying to them with a cheerful disposition. "You worry far too much; I'm getting better but if I keep being pampered like this, I won't be of much help in the Kira case."

Raito watched the raven-haired sleuth's expression: there was no change.

"Yeah, but that's no big deal," said Matsuda, ever valiant and considerate. "We can handle it by ourselves, right, guys? And besides, it's just been three days."

L glanced at him. "Yes, you can't expect to get back on your feel so quickly," she turned back to the octogenarian. "It'd be insane."

To their surprise, Watari chuckled and said that he would recover in no time. Then he glanced at his bedside table. "Who brought all these carnations?"

Raito hadn't noticed it before but now that Watari had mentioned it, everyone turned to look at a vase full of bright, eye-catching carnations neatly arranged upon the table.

Again, Matsuda. His face flushed and he smiled, scratching his head. "Uh, those are from me. I grabbed them this morning – and if you look, there's even a get-well card inside." His face turned redder.

Aizawa rolled his eyes, clearly displeased.

Watari, on the other hand, was not. "Thank you, Matsuda," he said, "I really appreciate it."

_How touching._

Mr. Yagami stepped forward. "There's no need for you to stress yourself further on the Kira case. You've helped us enough. I believe we can take it from here. Isn't that so, Ryuuzaki?"

She gave a non-committal nod, apparently agreeing with him. For an instant, she looked almost sad.

"That's right," Raito agreed with his father. What was there to worry about because the Kira case was as good as closed? All L had to do was make a formal announcement, which he was sure she would do in due time.

He briefly caught her eye in the dim light of the room. She ignored him.

It was weird that no one else could sense the tension between them. Or maybe they could and they decided to cast it aside as another argument between two brilliant minds.

"I think we should go now," Mogi spoke up. "We've been here long enough. Watari needs his rest."

"Oh, please, I'm fine," protested Watari like a teenager who'd been told that he had to stay in on a Saturday night. But no one heeded him and they gathered at the door on their way out, eager to talk to the detective. Raito knew that this was because of two killings last night. Misa had kept on judging people the way she was told to and there was news on a daily basis that evildoers were dropping dead like flies. This was the way he was going to fulfil his vision – cut off the decaying branches from the tree and let it grow with its head held up, soaring to new, never-before-seen heights.

As soon as the door was shut, the task force was full of questions about their next move.

"Did you see the news, Ryuuzaki?" asked Matsuda in a low, heated voice. "Two more criminals died of heart attacks in the Minato area."

"Hmm, is that so?" she didn't sound very interested as she shoved her hands in her pockets and started walking away.

"Yeah," Aizawa said. "We haven't had the chance to go to headquarters or do more investigation."

"As much as I hate to say this," Mr. Yagami uttered grimly. "We can't put our investigation on hold for one man. We have to go on with the Kira case."

L calmly listened to this and then stopped so suddenly that the members of the task force bumped into one another.

_This is ridiculous,_ thought Raito irritably.

"Actually," she said, "there's something I need to talk to you about that."

"Huh?"

Oh, this was it.

L led them to the waiting room, which was surprisingly empty. She then stepped up on the sofa and took her trademark position, hugging her knees to her chest, eyes pensive.

Raito waited for her next words with bated breath, knowing she was aware that she would have to choose them carefully.

"I've decided to withdraw from the Kira case," she announced, the words almost flying out of her mouth like ripping bandage. Everyone stared. Raito had been silent all this time. It was his cue.

"What are you talking about, Ryuuzaki?" he demanded, clenching his fist, feigning innocent shock. "You can't step back from the case now! We've already come this far."

She looked at him, her black eyes unreadable but he knew that she would like nothing better than to strangle him. _Don't you dare act like you have no idea what's going on._

"You – you can't be serious!" sputtered Mogi, eyes wide.

"Have you lost your mind, L?" Aizawa demanded, vexed.

"He's right," said Raito, refusing to back down from a chance to humiliate her. "Don't tell me that you're going to back off now."

She gave him a long, cool look. She saw right through the mask and there was no doubt that she wanted to rip it off. But her hands were tied and she was helpless, so she remained silent.

"I can't believe you're saying this, Ryuuzaki," Mr. Yagami frowned at her angrily. "After how much we put our lives on the line just to catch Kira –"

"Yeah, and we finally have a lead!" exclaimed Matsuda, referring to the notebook. "Now we can –"

"_Enough_!" L said sharply, and Raito hid a smirk to see her patience wearing down.

She took a moment, waiting until everyone else had calmed down to listen to her and she carefully avoided Raito's gaze.

"I understand that this news is a shock to you," she spoke softly, toes twitching like she'd love a cup of highly-sweetened coffee. "And we _have_ come a long way – I really do appreciate your efforts and dedication. But as of late, I feel that this case has come to a dead end of sorts."

The detectives gawked at her, wondering if she knew the weight of the words that she was uttering. Raito waited for her to go on. He had to say that he was impressed by the way she carried herself. Obviously she had rehearsed well for this.

"It's become a kind of labyrinth," she continued, looking down at her feet as if she didn't have the guts to face them. "Just when we reach one end, there appear many others. It's an endless maze and there seems to be no way out. We caught Higuchi, thinking that the killings would end, but he died of a heart attack before we could question him… not to mention the killings resumed a few days later. And then, we find the existence of these murderous notebook and spirits. I get the feeling that the more we pursue this, the more puzzling it will get. So I'm calling off the investigation."

_I'm calling off the investigation_. Not _I've decided to call off the investigation._ It sounded more final that way.

It took a good while for the task force to accept this, a full five minutes, Raito would say. Everyone stared at Ryuuzaki, wishing that she would change her mind, that this was just another one of her tests to see how dedicated they were. However, when she kept silent, they understood that she wasn't joking. Their mouths were hanging open like stupefied cartoon characters. Again, Raito felt that he must say something.

"I can't believe this," he breathed in pretend-incredulity. "Ryuuzaki, you can't possibly be serious!"

Once more, that cold stare. "Yagami-kun should remember to close his mouth; a fly might go in."

He flushed but was careful not to show his embarrassment. Even though he was angry, he allowed himself to take pleasure in that she had insulted him (and in such a juvenile way, nonetheless!) because she felt cornered. And he gracefully allowed the slight for it was the only way she could get back at him.

_Well, I've never seen you come down to this level, L. Seems like your pride's been hurt more than you let on._

He was about to say something more but his father cut in.

"This is not the time to cut jokes, L!" Mr. Yagami scolded the young woman, so annoyed that he forgot to address her by her alias. "Have you thought about what you're saying, the convictions you held?"

"I can't believe you're walking away like this," Aizawa turned away in disgust.

"And all the innocent lives put at stake," murmured Mogi, equally upset.

"Don't you remember how Raito-kun and Misa-Misa were incarcerated for almost two months?" Matsuda pleaded, throwing out his hands. "Don't tell me you're going to let their troubles go to waste so easily."

L looked at him. "It wasn't an easy decision to make," she admitted, the only truth she would allow the public (Raito was fine with that). "But it is still something I intend to stick to." She saw their crestfallen expressions and said softly, "I'm sorry."

Another long silence. They looked like they were having a nightmare and they were struggling to wake up.

"Ryuuzaki," Raito started quietly, but she was already on her feet, going out of the room towards a coffee pot she had spotted in the corner of the hallway. To the others, it signalled the end of the discussion. But only he knew that she'd left because she didn't want to talk to him.

Matsuda sighed sadly. "Well, I guess that's that," he broke the silence and Aizawa shut his eyes, shaking his head as if he still couldn't believe his ears.

Mr. Yagami looked so shaken that he had to sit down.

"You okay, dad?" asked Raito, noticing the pallor on his father's face.

Mr. Yagami took a minute to answer. "I can't believe she gave up like that."

"I guess the case was taking its toll on her," offered Matsuda, always the understanding one, as an explanation. "After all, she was the one who worked the hardest. She and Raito-kun," he added quickly, glancing at the younger man, who gave a small, fake smile. (Yes, well, Matsuda had been _mostly useless_.)

"Perhaps she'll change her mind," Mr. Yagami hoped, but he was only trying to comfort himself. "She might only need a break."

Mogi said honestly, "We all do."

Well, that was true. They'd all worked like anything for months, getting little sleep, being away from their families, no holidays and all. Now the only one who had to do any real work was Raito.

_Yes,_ he thought. _Let them think that they're just taking a break. They won't have a Kira case to come back to. I'll make sure of it._

"Maybe you should talk to her, Raito," Aizawa suggested suddenly.

Matsuda visibly brightened. "Yeah, that's a great idea!" he exclaimed. "You two have such a great understanding… I'm sure you'll be the one to persuade her, if anyone can."

Raito had, of course, considered the possibility that he would be asked to reason with her when she announced her withdrawal. And while he had no intention of asking her to come back to the case (he decided that she'd already suffered enough), he thought that he could use a chance to talk to her.

"Yeah," he nodded, looking very dazed. "She's totally taken me by surprise – I didn't see this coming… and from her." He looked out the door to watch L's frail form making its way to the balcony with a coffee cup. She leaned against the railing, taking a sip, and gazing at the scene before her, appearing very deep in thought. He hoped that she wouldn't do something stupid like jumping off the railing, but she was too strong for that.

"I'll talk to her when she's ready," he assured the others as they looked at him expectantly. "She seems like she wants to be alone now."

"Yeah," they nodded, deciding that since there was nothing more to be done, they had best go home.

As they went out of the room, Raito waiting for everyone to leave first, he paused to look at the balcony again. He was surprised to find that this time, her obsidian gaze was directed at him, filled with an emotion that he couldn't read. It was the way she had looked at him a few days earlier in the headquarters when he stood behind the glass stairs, face distorted, her eyes knowing that something had changed in him, but she didn't know what.

* * *

Mrs. Yagami and Sayu appeared to be the only ones happy with L closing the Kira investigation. Sayu, who rarely went into the kitchen, had prepared crab casserole to welcome her father home. Mrs. Yagami looked anxious and relieved at the same time.

"Dear, I want you to stop worrying so much about this case," she said soothingly, sitting beside her husband. "What's done is done. At least you can get back your job at the police force and be home more often."

"Yeah, dad," said Sayu cheerfully. "You're off of Kira's list for sure now."

Mr. Yagami looked glum, the wrinkles on his forehead more pronounced. "It still comes as a shock." He knew that he shouldn't discuss such aspects of the case with his family but sheer shock and distress led him to do something so uncharacteristic.

In the corner of the sitting room, Raito watched this exchanged with the cold, passive eye of a murderer. He listened to his father lamenting over how L had let them all down, basically implying that none of them had the guts to continue the investigation on their own. Needless to say, he didn't mind that; he hadn't been counting on the possibility that the task force would pursue Kira independently. His father had already said such a thing was impossible without L's assistance when she once suggested that they use their own methods to nab Higuchi.

"It's okay, dad," he tried to sound comforting instead of bored. "You remember how depressed Ryuuzaki was when her suspicions about me were wrong. Maybe she's going through that phase again." _It's a phase she won't be getting out of,_ he told himself.

Mr. Yagami appeared somewhat pacified by this.

"Just try to be patient," the young man continued smoothly. "I'll go and talk to her. We'll figure something out."

"Yes, well," Mr. Yagami's mood changed as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "About that, Raito. I noticed that you've missed five months' worth of classes. I want you to go back to college tomorrow and find out how you can make up for it," he said seriously. "Perhaps Ryuuzaki quitting the case isn't such a bad thing because you'll now get to focus on your studies."

Raito blinked. Woah, what a turn-around. He hadn't seen _that_ coming.

"I can do that," he said dismissively but not disrespectfully. "But I don't want you to get too upset over this. It's hard enough for me but I don't want you to get worked up." Cheesy but it had the desired effect because his father was less upset now.

He had to admit, though, that his father had a point. He'd missed countless classes and now that the investigation was over, he wouldn't have to think of his education as well. He hadn't given up his ambition to join the police force. From the way he saw it, a law enforcer was the perfect position for Kira.

_Soon, the day will come when Kira's word is law._

"Come to lunch," Mrs. Yagami gently. "You'll get over this soon."

Mr. Yagami looked doubtful.

Raito participated in a light-hearted conversation at the dining table, his mind somewhere else. He had to go and see L as soon as possible; he was already suspicious of what she was up to when he couldn't keep an eye on her.

His thought process was interrupted by Sayu leaning over and whispering loudly in his ear, "So that's where you were? Dad told us that you went to live with that pretty model girl!"

Raito made a face. "Yeah, but I don't think we should discuss that," he said in a low voice to hint that he didn't want to discuss this.

To his surprise, Sayu grinned. "So L's a girl, huh?" she said.

He narrowed his eyes. What was she getting at?

"Is she as cute as Misa?"

He sputtered over his soup, genuinely scandalized. "Sayu!"

"Yes, Sayu," Mr. Yagami eyed her with disapproval. "That was not an appropriate question to ask."

"What?" cried the young girl innocently. "I was just asking."

Raito shook his head and went back to his lunch. It was only expected that his sister would ask such a silly question. Why must women be so superficial and unreasonable?

"How is Misa doing, Raito?" Mrs. Yagami asked with a warm smile. She'd been surprised by her son's association with the gothic Lolita, but she'd taken a liking to the girl. Not that it concerned Raito but he supposed that it was good for appearances. He would be the dutiful son and perfect boyfriend by day and revolutionary vigilante by night.

A harsh cackle of laughter. He saw Ryuk's face reflected on the surface of his spoon. Hmm, that demon had an odd sense of timing.

"Your mom's in for a surprise if she thinks that L looks anything like Misa," the demon said.

Raito pointedly ignored him.

"She's doing fine, mom. She's been very supportive." And it was true. Without her (and Rem), he wouldn't have been able to get L's real name.

"That's nice of her."

"I heard that she was going to be the heroine in Nishinaka's next movie!" Sayu was bubbling with excitement.

"Yes," he affirmed. "As a matter of fact, the movie's done filming. You should see it in the theaters soon."

"Ooh! I can't wait to see her again. You're such a lucky guy, onii-chan!"

Raito rolled his eyes inwardly. "Sure thing, but she's very busy with photo shoots."

Sayu's face fell but he paid her no attention. He didn't have time to think of such trivial things when he had more important issues to deal with.

Like having a private word with L.

He was determined to go and see her this afternoon, find out what her next course of action was. As long as she remained alive, he would have to do his best to keep an eye on her. And when he wasn't there to do that, he'd put Rem on the job.

But he could already her annoyed question, _Why do you suffer Ryuuzaki to live?_ After all, the female demon had passed him the photo so that he could finish the job himself.

So what had made him hold back? What had made him spare her life?

He justified it to himself that L dying shortly after the discovery of the Death Note would be suspicious and it might make him a bigger suspect, despite the thirteen-day rule. And while she had a reason to doubt its authenticity, the others took it at face value.

After lunch, he helped clear away the table and then went to his room.

"Ryuk," he addressed the spirit over his shoulder. "I'm going to need a plan."

Ryuk appeared to be excited over this. "What kind of plan?" he asked eagerly.

"The kind that lets me easily keep an eye on L."

"Why are you even bothering with a plan?" this time, he sounded annoyed. "Why don't you just kill her and be done with it?" The demon had posed him this question the first time he learned what Raito had done – or rather, what Raito had _not_ done. All these months of talking about killing L as soon as he got her name, and she had just been allowed to go to scot-free. (All right, that was an exaggeration but compared to death, _this_ was much preferable.)

(Or maybe, Raito mused darkly, L's pride had been hurt so much that death was the better option for her.)

"I told you," he answered with slight impatience. "It'd be too suspicious if she died so soon. And besides, I can use her disadvantage to my advantage. It's a win-win situation, Ryuk."

Ryuk stared, not convinced.

Raito just rolled his eyes again, deciding that the other did not merit an explanation. What did he care anyway? He was just here for the entertainment.

"How are you going to keep tabs on her twenty-four-seven?" asked the demon. "You don't have that kind of manpower. Plus, your dad wants you to go back to school, not hang around L all day."

Raito smiled. "That's where Rem comes in."

And speaking of Rem, where on earth was she? Probably with Misa, glad that she was able to somehow save the girl's life.

He took a taxi to the old headquarters where he had spent three months in close quarters with L. Again, Ryuk followed. He wasn't sure he wanted the spirit to tag along like a dog, but that's what he did.

He was astonished, and at the same time, not astonished, that the security measures had been slackened. For one, there were people around. Lots of them. They were carrying stuff around in cardboard boxes, moving around equipment that wasn't theirs.

He stopped at the entrance, watching what they were doing, wondering what was going on.

Was L _leaving_?

The workers were least bothered by his presence and they went about doing their work like bees.

"Woah," said Ryuk, looking around. "Is she taking off or something?"

Raito gritted his teeth.

He took the elevator upstairs, Ryuk hovering behind him, and went to the floor where he knew she was staying. And there were people there, too, packing things and taking them away. He had stayed in this very room for months, knew by heart all the positions of the furniture; so it was very surprising to see them taken away so suddenly.

And there L was, in the middle of the room, giving them instructions on what to do with the packings. She stood calmly beside the bed, the only piece of furniture left besides a small chair and a table, but when he looked closely, he saw that her brow was set, and she had a hand in her pocket.

She spotted him in a few moments, eyes growing largely for an instant, surprised, but not caught in the act.

He waited as patiently as he could for them to finish and L to dismiss them with a wave of her hand. When the last worker had left, she turned to him to him coolly. "Yagami-kun. What brings you here?"

Her professional approach threw him off of a bit (she was so confident, acting like he had no hold on her when they both knew that she was pawned) but he recovered quickly. "I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with your smooth performance this morning," he said with a cold smile.

"Yes," she returned, "I also think that Yagami-kun deserves an Oscar."

His eyes morphed into slits. The words had expectedly stung but he wouldn't let it show.

"I didn't think I'd see you here," she remarked. "I imagined that you would be with Misa Amane to celebrate your victory."

It was interesting that the detective should bring that up because Misa had called him yesterday, begging for a date so that they could celebrate. Needless to say, he had been annoyed by her shallowness.

"There will be plenty of time for a victory dance later," said Raito dismissively, enjoying how that made her uncomfortable. He changed the subject." What's with all the boxes? I thought I told you not to leave without my permission."

"I'm merely returning whatever I have no need for," she answered, not batting an eyelash. "Is that a problem?"

Right. Ryuuzaki had arranged this fancy equipment to help with the Kira investigation and now, she didn't need them anymore. "Not at all." He paused. "Did you delete the data?"

"Yes."

"I assume you're moving to a hotel then?"

"Your assumption is correct." She padded to the chair and perched on it, looking up at him with those huge black eyes, resting her hands on her knees. "So what's your next move?" she wanted to know.

Raito glanced at the empty bed a few inches away, recollecting the many nights that they had slept there, the nights when L would stay up late to work, resting her laptop on her thighs while he struggled to get some sleep with a resentful headache.

His wrist, uncuffed now, felt empty all of a sudden.

He glanced from the bed to the detective, who was still waiting for his answer.

"You can't expect me to give away my plans so easily, can you, Ryuuzaki?" he returned with a clever smile.

"Hmm, that's true," she agreed, pouring herself a steaming cup of tea, then dumping five to six sugar cubes into it. Raito had never realized until now how he hated her dietary habits.

"But seeing as how I am finally confronted with Kira," she went on, taking a casual sip, eyeing him with minor disdain, "I imagined that the least he could do was grant me a one-on-one interview about his 'wonderful' vision for the world."

Raito stared at her. What did she think he was, stupid? There was no way she could lull him into a false sense of security by paying him cheap compliments. That sort of thing might work with Misa. But not him.

"What are you so curious about my plans, L?" he countered mockingly. "Are you interested in making a contribution?"

"Absolutely not," came the reply. She put the cup away. "Raito-kun should not be so delusional as to presume those things. But...it's as he said: I'm curious."

Inwardly, the young man lifted a brow. Ryuuzaki was curious?

"If you haven't figured it out, _L_," he emphasized her name with dark relish, "I intend to make this world a better place."

"Yes, by doing away with all those who oppose you," she drawled. "That makes perfect sense."

He glared. "You make it sound like I'm the bad guy," he huffed childishly.

"You _are_ the bad guy," she shot back, not missing a beat, earning another glower from him.

"If I was the bad guy," he tried to reason with her, "I wouldn't have spared your life now, would I?"

That got her. She was quiet for a minute, as though thinking of a good come back, her eyes never leaving his. And then she said, "Do you expect gratitude for that..._Kira_?"

This was the first time that she had called him by that name and for some unknown reason, Raito didn't like hearing it from her lips. True, that was what the media and his supporters had dubbed him: Kira, the defender of the weak and abused; but when L called him that, she meant that Kira was a menace to the law and he must be held accountable for his actions. Not exactly the most favorable view.

"I wouldn't put it that way," he replied to her carefully. He glanced at his wristwatch. It had been forty-five minutes since he'd arrived here and he had momentarily forgotten what his intention was.

Ah, yes. To see what L was up to.

"Since you're moving," he changed the topic, "I would like the name and address of your hotel."

It was her turn to glower but she had no choice. She scribbled it down on a piece of paper and he took it from her.

Her handwriting was messy like a spider's web, but he had expected no better.

"You're leaving today?"

"In a bit. Why?"

"I'll escort you." The creepy smile was back on his face but he didn't show how disconcerted their conversation had left him.

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, my beta Sunmoonandspoon has issues with her laptop power cord and I'm grateful Viola Canina could return this to me so quickly. MattTheGamer suggested the "Backstabber" song. Sadly I don't have the mp3 :(.  
Also, this fic, which now has a T rating, will go up to M soon enough ;). Thanks for reading and stay tuned. Comments are much-loved :).


	3. Death Mask ii

Beta: SunMoonAndSpoon

Tell me how to forgive you  
When it's me who's ashamed  
And I wish could free you  
Of the hurt and the pain  
But the answer is simple  
He's the one to blame

Shakira and Beyonce Knowles, "Beautiful lie"

As much as he hated to admit it, things weren't really going according to plan. Raito had hoped that once he had worked out his deal with L, he would have greater freedom to pursue his goals without a meddlesome detective foiling his moves. Instead, he was now busy with the most mundane things, like making appointments with his college professors and asking them what he could do to make up for all the classes and assignments that he had missed. He had been absent until then for more than three months and his father had been more than willing to write him a note of excuse, stating that Raito was severely ill. Handling the professors was easy; they all loved him (why was that not surprising?) and they were happy to give him another chance. No, the difficult part was facing Kiyomi Takada, the woman who had asked him out, the woman who he'd agreed to date for appearance's sake. As shallow as she was (for she really did like being called Miss To-Oh), she wasn't dumb and she was suspicious about his whereabouts.

"Raito," she called to him one day after class, when all the students were filing out like sheep. "Raito!"

Raito was half-tempted to pretend that he hadn't heard her, but out of courtesy's sake, he turned around and smiled politely, as if he was surprised to see her.

Kiyomi stopped then, as though confused about what she wanted to say to him. He'd disappeared from her life abruptly and it wasn't easy trying to think of a non-prying way to ask what had happened.

He waited patiently for her to say something.

Finally, she asked, "How are you? You haven't been around for a long time. Is everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah," he said, suddenly the spitting image of the handsome, uncertain boy who had no idea how to behave in front of a beautiful woman. They started for the exit together. "I'm sorry but I came down with this really bad illness. Couldn't do much, just lie in bed all day."

"Oh," her brow furrowed in something between suspicion and concern. "I was worried about you...I tried calling your cell phone many times but it was turned off."

"Yeah, my dad confiscated it," he fibbed smoothly. "He just wanted me to concentrate on getting better. Doctor's orders." He shot her a most disarming smile. She was pacified but she clearly wanted to spend more time with him.

"I hope you're feeling better now," she offered.

"Much better, thanks. I'm just worried about how I'm going to catch up on all this work."

Kiyomi's face fell then. Was she upset that she hadn't been in his thoughts when he was away?

"Raito," she started again, and it sounded like she was trying to get back into his good books. He sneered inwardly. Women were so predictable. "Why don't we study together this afternoon? I'm sure I can help you with the back assignments."

"That would be wonderful, Kiyomi...but I have so many things to do and I think it'd be better if I did this alone." It was the politest way he could turn her down. She tried not to show upset she was and even lingered a little longer, hoping that he'd say he wanted to see her some other time. He said nothing.

"All right," she said, perhaps admitting defeat at last. "See you around."

"Sure," Raito nodded. "Take care."

As Kiyomi walked away, Raito heard a voice saying, "Misa's gonna be darned happy about this." He looked to find Ryuk standing beside him, leering at the dark-haired girl as though she were a tasty slice of apple.

The young man shrugged. "I went out with Kiyomi just to keep away L's suspicions from me and Misa. Now that I finally have what I want, there's no need for that pretense."

_But you're still pretending with Misa, aren't you?_

"Good point," Ryuk approved. "And I don't think L was very impressed by her, anyway."

Raito scowled at the demon. Why would he care about what L thought of the women he dated? He hadn't seen the sugar-loving investigator since the day he'd helped her move into the new hotel, graciously making sure that the men had properly brought in her things (though she didn't seem to possess anything other than a plethora of soft white shirts and loose jeans). The intention behind that was that he wanted to show her that he was a benign captor, capable of compassion and concern for the well-being of even his most fatal enemy. He had reminded L that her life had been spared and if she wasn't thankful for it now, she'd be eventually. She would be made to see his point and she would then use her amazing intellect to help him out. For what other use did he have for rebels than to either remove them or convert them to his own cause?

"What L thinks is irrelevant," he declared.

"She doesn't think much of Misa, either," observed Ryuk.

Raito turned to the annoying spirit. "Your point being?" he asked sharply.

"Hey, there's no need to get so serious, I was just making an observation." But there was something snide in Ryuk's tone that Raito disliked. Almost as if the spirit knew something that he didn't.

Well, that shouldn't be too shocking. Ryuk was always concealing or 'forgetting' to tell him key facts that Raito had to find out from secondary sources. Or when he was in a dire fix.

"Whatever," Raito huffed. He needed to think of using the Death Note again. So far, Misa had done an appreciable job of acting as his right hand, but he thought if was time to get back to work, so to speak. That, and he still hadn't settled how to put L under surveillance. Truth of the matter was, he'd been so busy with other things that he hadn't had time to ask after Rem.

Therefore, for the time being, he'd set Ryuk to watch over her. It seemed like a good idea, for L wouldn't be able to see the male demon. There would hence be more of a chance of her being caught red-handed that way.

(Almost like he _wanted_ her to do something wrong.)

"So what exactly do you want me to do?" Ryuk had wanted to know.

"Make sure that she doesn't try to contact anyone, or tell Watari."

"Okay. And what do you want me to do if she does? Write her name in my Death Note?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

It was a valid question. Obviously, Rem watching L would be a preferable option; she'd be kept on her toes that way. And besides, Ryuk was needed here more.

(And if he made one more smart-ass comment about how much easier it was to just kill L because they wouldn't have to worry about who was watching whom...)

Ryuk had now just returned from another "shift," no doubt for a bushel of apples that he felt he so rightly deserved.

"What was she up to?" asked Raito casually as he walked down the steps of the building. There was a water fountain nearby and he had often thought of sitting on its edge and looking into the crystal clear water, feeling the spray on his face. But there were other college students clustered there now, hanging out, just talking and laughing.

"Nothing you'd be interested in," quipped Ryuk.

"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't," returned Raito, slightly impatient.

"She just went to see that old man in the hospital."

"Watari."

"I know."

"Then what? Did she tell him anything?"

"No. Just that she's no longer chasing you."

_Chasing you._ The double meaning sounded absurd...not to mention obscene. "And what did he say to that?"

"He said he hoped that she was happy with her decision. Look, Raito, if you send me to watch her one more time, I'm writing your name in my Death Note."

Raito chuckled.

They went to the open-air market, where he bought a bag of rosy red apples. All this time, Ryuk stood beside him, leering at the fruits as though they were a pot of leprechaun's gold.

Raito followed his old routine of sitting on a bench behind the bush and feeding Ryuk the apples. In the back of his mind, as he watched an apple disappear chunk by chunk, he wondered why he couldn't just let the demon eat by himself. The logic was so that it wouldn't look weird that apples were vanishing on their own, but in hindsight, that made no sense. Next time, Ryuk was feeding himself.

When the spirit was done, he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and looked down at Raito.

"You don't have any idea where Rem is, do you?" he asked.

A shark-like grin was his reply.

Raito sighed and leaned back. He was done for the day and unless something new came up, all he had to do was go home, write some essays, and watch the news during dinner. Perhaps he would give Misa a call later and tell her to let him take charge. He'd missed writing in the Death Note, tonight would be a treat.

Just then, his cell phone started ringing. It was Misa.

"Raito-kun!" her high-pitched voice rang out from the receiver, and he held it a bit away from his ear, annoyed. Why did she always have to act so bubbly?

"How are you? Why haven't you called me?" She must be pouting, which a lesser man would've found cute.

"I was...busy," he replied, ignoring Ryuk's chuckle. "Is something the matter, Misa?"

"What? Of course something's the matter! I miss you!"

He sighed again. "I missed you, too...honey," he added on second thoughts. Just because Kiyomi was out of his hands didn't mean that he wouldn't have to play it careful with Misa. If he hoped to make any use of her. Normally, he would think that taking advantage of someone's affection was dishonorable (how he'd protested when L suggested he do that) but these were special circumstances and he was, needless to say, willing to go to any lengths to achieve his goals.

Misa giggled happily. "Oh, Raito. I'm so glad you're thinking of me. Let's just go on a date today. Why don't you pick me up from my place?"

_Oh, no..._ "Uh, Misa," he decided to change the subject. "Have you seen Rem?"

"Yeah," Misa sounded confused. "She's right here. Why?"

"What?" Raito sat up straight. "She's there?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Tell her to stay there. I need to talk to her." And he hung up.

Misa was wearing a tight black mini-dress, her golden hair piled up on top of her head, her feet shod on black pencil heels. In other words, she wasn't wearing anything out of the ordinary, but it was obvious that she had dressed up for the occasion. And when Raito turned up at her door, she greeted him with a cry of delight, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Yay! You're here!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes twinkling.

He accepted her embrace without returning it. "Hey."

Ryuk floated in and Misa stepped away to greet him. At least she hadn't tried to kiss him.

As Raito went into the living-room (were the lamp shades sparking? She must have put in some effort to welcome him here again), looking for any signs of the female spirit.

Rem was standing in the corner, slouching near the window, her reaction to seeing him the total opposite of Misa's. He knew she didn't care for him, but that wasn't going to stop him from asking her.

"Raito," said Misa, having shut the door, entering the room Ryuk. To his surprise, before the petite blonde could say anything else, Rem spoke up. "Misa said you wanted to speak with me."

"Yes," said Raito. "I need you to do something for me."

"Is that so, Raito Yagami?" Rem challenged coldly. "I've already helped you find L's name."

"And I'm grateful for that," he said, deciding to play it safe.

"What I don't understand it, how she lives, even after you were given her name." The seven-foot tall spirit glared at him icily.

"Look," said Raito, trying to be patient, cinnamon eyes transforming into serpentine slits. "You wanted no harm to come to Misa, didn't you? Now that I have L's name, Misa is safe."

"But why do you let that woman live?" Rem pressed. "I thought you wanted to kill her."

_Why does everyone keep asking me this?_ he wondered, his jaw tightening. Aloud, he said, "I'm letting L live because I think that she'll eventually come over to my side." And that had come right out of nowhere. But as he kept speaking, the argument became more and more rational to him. (Absolutely. Why hadn't he seen it earlier?)

(_But if she doesn't, then what?)_

He hadn't thought of it that far. Which was weird because he was always planning everything so scrupulously.

Rem – like Ryuk before her – didn't look convinced at all. And he hated that it felt like both the demons knew something that he was unaware of (and he hated being kept in the dark) and they weren't willing to share it with him. _What on earth is it?_

"What did you want with me, then?" Rem asked finally.

"I want you to go and keep an eye on L as frequently as possible," said Raito. "I want you to make sure that she isn't plotting anything or going anywhere. I want it to stay that way."

"And how long do I watch her?" asked Rem.

"As long as necessary," said Raito, "as long as I don't tell you to stop."

When Rem seemed reluctant to help him, Misa stepped forward and touched the demon's white arm.

"Please, Rem," she pleaded, her blue eyes wide and big as she looked up at the other. "I trust that Raito has a good reason to want this."

Rem was displeased but she couldn't say no to the girl. "All right," she conceded at last. Ryuk actually grinned.

Raito smirked. "Good. I'll be taking you to her later today. Just to show you where she lives."

"And Misa?" Rem was always so predictable, Misa was her primary concern.

"Misa will be fine with me," Raito assured her. "The Kira case is closed now. No one suspects her of anything."

Rem stared at him for a long time, as though she were in deep thought, or rather, deep observation, wondering about his sudden change of plan. Or maybe she was just thinking of the girl's safety.

"I give you my word," Raito promised, his voice deep. "I'll take care of Misa. She's been safe so far, hasn't she?"

(Well, not that safe since L had tortured her, but he conveniently ignored it.)

This time, Rem acknowledged him with a slight nod of her head.

"Yay!" Misa squealed, and grabbed Raito's arm. "Now let's go on that date."

They had some green tea at a local restaurant, along with some grilled eel and rice. Raito hadn't realized how hungry he was until he entered the restaurant and smelled the food. To his surprise, Rem and Ryuk had followed them here, as though they were their bodyguards. Or maybe they had nothing better to do.

"Disgusting," remarked Ryuk when she saw their orders brought in. Misa just giggled at the comment.

Raito ate quietly, listening to her talk to him about a photo shoot she'd had this morning, and how many times she'd thought of text messaging him. Whenever they got together on these false dates, it was always her talking and him listening (and he didn't even wish to do that because she rarely uttered anything of importance). His only breaks were fans interrupting them to take her autograph. Though there were moments when he wanted to slink away like a shadow because she kept taking his hand and announcing cheerfully, "This is my boyfriend." While she was a budding celebrity, he wanted to keep a low profile. He had no interest in fame.

On the bright side, at least no one was taking pictures.

"Oh, Raito," Misa turned to him suddenly. "We have to try the chocolate ice cream here. It's the best in Tokyo."

Raito conceded with a non-commital nod. He wasn't much of a sweets person but he supposed that some ice cream wasn't objectionable.

"My movie's opening in theaters next week," Misa announced to him excitedly, her spoon clattering with her ice cream bowl. "You'll be coming as my date, won't you?"

"I'll think about it."

She looked disappointed, but she didn't say anything.

When they were done with their ice creams, he said the other thing he wanted to tell her. "Misa," he took a moment to touch her shoulder. "You can stop judging criminals now. I can take over from here."

She was taken aback by her decision but her eyes softened when he took her hand. " L's no longer a threat." He smiled. "We're finally free to start planning for a world where we can reign together – just you and I." He was almost tempted to throw in "and children" but that would be too cheesy.

Misa's eyes misted over with affection as she gazed up at him the same way she had when he'd ordered her to carry out judgments on his behalf.

"You've been so helpful to me, Misa," he went on softly. "I don't what I'd do without you."

A soft blush appeared on her fair cheeks, her eyelids lowering. "I'm so glad," she sighed. "You know how I want to be useful to you."

Raito smiled again at her. The smile did not reach his eyes.

He was on his way to see L now. Outside the restaurant, he had told Misa to go home and when she'd started to protest, he'd casually brushed his mouth against her cheek. Ryuk had gone with her (he was better at tolerating the actress's company) – and here Rem was, standing beside him, an ominous look on her face, like she was very dissatisfied about the task she was to fulfill.

Soon, he found himself standing before L's door, a place where he'd been just days earlier. He wished for an instant that L could not see Rem so that she could be taken by surprise – and that would be fun.

He raised his hand and knocked.

The door opened a moment later. L was looking her usual disheveled self, though the bags under her eyes had become heavier. Without her face registering a change of expression as she spotted Rem, she went back in leaving the door open so that they could come inside.

Raito had to say that he was not particularly impressed by her passive aggressiveness, but he stepped in anyway, the demon following him, and shut the door behind.

This was the sitting-room, and the heavy curtains had been drawn, only letting a small ray of sunlight in. It actually reminded him of a vampire's lair.

The television was blaring. He saw that the news was on NHK.

"_Today, there have been reports of the deaths of three more notorious criminals. The police have confirmed that it is Kira –_ "

L switched off the television, and turned a questioning stare at Raito, silently inquiring what he was doing here. And with Rem, too.

"So is this what you do all day?" he took a light, sarcastic tone, lazily walking around like a building inspector. "Sit in a dark room, watching the latest news bulletins?"

She eyed him warily. "Is there something I can help Raito-kun?" she said, as if she had better things to do.

Instead of answering her question, he said, "I remember that you used to have little time for anything else. It was always eat and work – and the occasional visits to YouTube." He neglected to mention the five hours of sleep she'd allowed him and herself during that period. "Tell me, Ryuuzaki, how do you spend your time these days?"

"I sit in a dark room all day and watch the latest news bulletins." She didn't miss and beat, and a cynical smile appeared on her lips. "And then I call room service for more sweets."

"Ah. Not much of a change, I see." He didn't notice that he'd made a small joke until she raised a thin eyebrow at him. "You could be doing more than that, you know," he said.

"Yes." She nodded her agreement. "I could continue my investigation and put Kira on death row, as he rightly deserves. Sadly, I cannot do that due to unavoidable circumstances."

_Ouch._ "How tragic," he said drily.

"Indeed."

A small silence ensued then. He glanced at Rem beside him, and saw that the investigator glancing at Rem, and decided to explain her presence.

"I know that you gave your word that you would stop pursuing me," he said, raising his chin to look her in the eye. "But as further precaution, Rem will be watching you – to make sure that you don't break the agreement."

L paled then, her eyes widening. Clearly, he noted with a triumphant smirk, she hadn't seen this coming. But her expression relaxed and the sternness returned to her eyes.

"You have someone else watching before, didn't you?" she said all of a sudden.

It was his turn to be thrown off guard. "How did you guess?" He couldn't stop himself.

"I heard a noise in the middle of the night," she answered. "And then, I saw an apple disappear."

Raito tightened his jaw. Trust Ryuk to do a sloppy job and give into his love of apples.

He shrugged. "It's nothing personal. After all, you installed bugs and sixty-three cameras in my room, if I remember correctly."

She almost flinched. "Sixty-four," she corrected, glaring at him again.

"_Whatever_." The young man rolled his eyes. "I'm not even counting the other stuff you put in the house."

She narrowed her eyes. "You knew about them?"

"Definitely," he answered silkily. Before she could ask how, he said, "I hope you don't mind."

She resentfully at the demon again, who remained as silent as a stone, and said a little tightly, "No...I suppose I don't."

"Good." He gave her a lopsided smile.

"How long does Raito-kun plan to have Rem watch over me?"

"As long as it takes," he rested a hand on the back of the couch. "I have a...proposition for you, L."

"What is it?" she asked suspiciously.

He started this carefully. "You're a very intelligent person..."

"Thank you."

"I want you to help me."

L stared at him for a moment, onyx eyes wide with disbelief. Then she turned away and started to laugh without really smiling, her bony shoulders shaking with that husky laughter. He'd never heard her laugh before – mostly, when they used to work those long hours together to catch Higuchi, she'd go as far as a smile. But never a laugh.

"I'm not kidding!" Raito said angrily, a flush rising to his face.

"I know," she returned, still laughing. "That's what makes it so funny."

He glowered at the raven-haired detective. "I'm offering you a chance to redeem yourself!"

"Redeem myself?" she echoed dangerously. "I'm not the one who's a mass-murderer out on some twisted mission to cleanse the world of evil..._Kira_." She bit out the name like an insult.

"Such harsh words from one who was cowering before my demands just a week ago!" he exclaimed, brown eyes blazing with anger.

"Only because you left me no choice," she shot back, stepping forward. "You threatened the lives of people I know. Unlike you, Kira, I value human life."

It was Raito's turn to laugh incredulously. What a hypocrite she was! "You value other people's lives?" he repeated her words. "What about that death row inmate you put on TV to track me down? Did you value _his_ life?"

"It was something that had to be done," L defended herself, her voice octaves above a hiss. "He was scheduled to be executed anyway."

"And you don't think that the killing of dangerous criminals is something that has to be done – to make the world a better place?"

"And kindly explain to me how the killing of criminals makes this world a better place?" she threw back his words at him mockingly.

"What about those fifty-three days of solitary confinement that you put me and Misa through?" he demanded. "Don't act so innocent, Ryuuzaki. You yourself are willing to go to any length to get what you want."

"I did what I had to do in order to find the truth!" she snapped. "It wasn't doing it for fun."

"Do you think that I do _this_ for fun?"

"Judging from the way you were using those prisoners to send me little messages, I'd have to say yes."

He ignored her. He had to take a calmer approach. "Ryuuzaki – L – I'm only asking you because you're the only other person I know who cares so much about justice. With your intelligence and skills, we can achieve these goals much quicker and more easily."

"Raito-kun forgets that these goals are his, not mine," she pointed out frostily.

He clenched his fist. Why did she have to be so damn difficult?

A shuffle, and she moved towards a chair to sit down.

"But let's say," she said, much quieter now, as if their argument had drained the energy out of her. "That you did accomplish your goals. What do you want to be in this new world?"

He briefly looked out the little opening in the curtains at the sun outside before facing her again. "I will be the ruler of this new world."

"You're no more a ruler than I am."

Raito glared at her. She held his gaze with calm dignity, and he wouldn't have expected any less from her.

"You ingrate," he seethed. "I spare your life despite the threat you posed. I show you compassion and this is the thanks I get."

"If Raito let me live to improve his image, then he has no right to expect me to thank him," she stated, disgusted. "You're more twisted than I thought."

That left him speechless. They stared each other down like two parties locked in a cold war and no matter what the odds were, neither would back away.

"I swear to you, L," he said at last, leaning towards her, growling. "I will make you see my point sooner or later. And you will understand that I was right all along."

The detective's pale, slender throat caught the light. "Raito-kun can try to his heart's desire," she replied coldly. "But I am afraid he will be wasting his time and mine."

That was it. She was taking it too far, saying all sort of things to provoke him and make him do something stupid.

Raito turned to the silent demon who had stood there all this time, observing everything without making a single comment – just waiting and watching.

"You stay here," he told Rem, although it was unnecessary because she already knew what to do.

(But then, giving Rem orders in front of L was a good idea.)

"Watch her at all times," he said, ignoring another one of L's glares. "And report to me if she tries anything funny. Or," he added for good measure, "you could just kill her."

L actually flinched at that.

With a final triumphant smirk at her over his shoulder, Raito stepped out of the suite and slammed the door behind him.

A/N: Sorry I've been late in posting this chapter. I've been lazy and my beta has some tough issues to deal with in real life. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and let me know ;).


	4. Death Mask iii

Don't try to tell me how some power can corrupt a person  
You haven't had enough to know what it's like  
You're only angry 'cause you wish you were in my position  
Now nod your head because you know that I'm right  
All right!  
Nine Inch Nails, "Capital G"

In the days to come, Raito would find that perhaps the road reaching his goal wasn't as easy as he'd thought it would be. True, he had organized his schedule to be of the utmost convenience. I.e., he would go to college, come back and do his home assignments, and after dinner, he would spend some time in his room with the TV on (how glad he was to finally have the privacy to carry out his judgments) and write in the Death Note. Rem was doing her job fairly competently, staying in the detective's presence twenty-four seven. With childish glee, he thought of how fitting it was to have the tables turned on L. He got no interesting reports on what she was doing; it was the same old, same old. Perversely, he started to hope that she _would_ try to break their agreement somehow and notify someone about his true identity so that Rem could just put her out of her misery, like a horse with a broken back. And then he would feel an inexplicable disgust at the image of her lifeless form lying on the floor.

_L...dead..._

And why shouldn't he want her dead? She was the thorn at his side and she had impeded his every step for the one year that they'd butted heads together. Come to think of it, he really ought to have killed her that day instead of going through so much trouble to have a spirit watch over her, even though he justified this.

But when he thought of her as being actually..._dead_, he came to the disturbing realization that he _did not want that_. In other words, an annoying L was better than a dead L.

Ryuk would lie on Raito's bed and smile almost evilly at him, as if to say, _I know something you don't_ while his pen scratched away on a black page, etching the names of doomed criminals. He tried to ignore this to the best of his ability and go on with his life. There was a good chance that Ryuk was acting that way simply to irritate him. He wouldn't put it past that untrustworthy demon.

"Hey, Raito," Ryuk was saying, trying to get the young man's attention. He had finished eating two apples and since the news was of no interest to him, he was looking for other ways to entertain himself. Raito just wished that the demon would keep him out of it.

"Hmm?" he said disinterestedly, glancing at the TV screen from time to time and writing down a name and sometimes, a few additional details. For example, this one was scheduled to die in a public lavatory.

He had to keep himself entertained, too, somehow, right?

"Raito!" Ryuk said again, his voice more insisting.

"What is it, Ryuk?" asked the young man even though he had no desire to know.

"Why're you working so hard?" the spirit sounded almost whiny. Raito's face remained blank but inwardly, his lips curled in distaste.

"You got L out of the way," Ryuk continued, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Well, as out of the way as possible," he added as an afterthought. "Why can't we take a break and go out for a walk or something? I'm getting stifled in here."

Raito's expression did not change. Again, inwardly. "If you'd like to take a walk, there's nothing stopping you, Ryuk," he answered, his voice cold and distant. Actually, it would be good if Ryuk left him for a bit. The spirit was getting on his nerves.

"Aw, but that's no fun!" Ryuk protested.

Raito couldn't care less. He wanted to say something like, _Go hit on a female spirit or something_, but instead, he just waved the demon away. To his surprise, instead of sulking, Ryuk just shrugged, got to his feet and walked out through the wall.

Ah, now that was better. He leaned back in his chair, took a deep breath, trying to relax, and continued to his writing.

After a few minutes, when he was done for the night, Raito put away the notebook, switched off the television and stretched, a hand covering his yawning mouth. He had to admit that Ryuk had a point. He'd been working himself twice as hard than usual when ideally, things were supposed to be easier now. Of course, if one looked at it this way, he was just trying to catch up with all those months that he'd been 'indisposed', having voluntarily slipped into his old self, the ignorant, naïve self before he'd stumbled upon the death note.

It had been a huge gamble, putting himself at L's disposal but he was glad that things had worked out in his favor. L had lowered her defenses enough to let him close to her and when the right time had come, he'd bitten her like a snake in the grass. Then again, she had never trusted him, never wholly believed in his innocence. She wasn't the best detective in the world for nothing.

His mind drifted back to the last time he's spoken to her (how long ago was that? Two weeks? Three weeks?). She had looked him in the eye with cool determination, defying his considerate offer of having her cooperate with him. And while he was outraged by her rejection of his offer, he had to admit that he felt real admiration for her integrity. From a more lenient point of view, there would be no blame on the investigator if she had decided to cooperate with Raito. But she'd refused his proposal without a second thought – even laughed in his face. The mere memory of it made him red with anger. She was truly a brave person, he had to give her that. No doubt that she was extremely intelligent (the only mind he'd found so far to match his own) and she prioritized justice just the way he did. She would have been a great help to his cause.

He sighed. He got up, turned off the light and climbed into bed. If only she could see things the way he did...

Perhaps he could persuade her in time. He needed to play his cards carefully and have patience with her. Eventually, she would come to agree with him.

And if she didn't...well, there was always the death note

*

Now that there was no Kira case, Mr Yagami was home more often. He had gotten back his job at the police department, met many old colleagues and had even received a promotion as a sort of welcome-back present. Under absolutely different circumstances, this would have pleased him greatly. But now, he got no sense of satisfaction. In the corridors of his mind, there was the upsetting echo of failure. All the years that he had been a cop, he had never turned his back on a case, even when things became too puzzling. Working with L had given him valuable experience and while he had a lot of respect for the young detective, he couldn't say that he agreed with her decision that there was nothing more to be done about the Kira case. True, this was the most challenging mystery he'd seen. True that they had been working hard for over a year. The honest, idealist in him believed that with perseverance, they would have had victory in the end.

Nevertheless, he was now working on other things...of which there weren't many. While he vehemently opposed Kira, he had to admit that the guy was on the verge of putting policemen out of work.

His wife and daughter were happy enough to have him back home and they couldn't care less if he didn't have anything to keep himself occupied with. It was of no interest to them if he had to take an early retirement and stay home like an...an old man.

He winced at the thought. Well, it was true. He wasn't able to stay up and toil as much as the young men in his department (he'd noticed that much during the Yotsuba case) and his mind wasn't as sharp as before. Maybe it was time that he gave it a rest.

He turned to Raito in the morning, and to the young man's surprise, said that he should go and visit Watari in the hospital.

Raito blinked. "But dad -" he started, ignoring Sayu's amused grin that for once, he wasn't acting like the dutiful son.

"No buts about it." Mr Yagami shook his head, looking up momentarily from his newspaper. "Just because we're no longer working together doesn't mean we can totally break all contact with him. Don't you remember how nice he was to you?"

Raito's jaw tightened for a second but he relented quickly. He'd had too much on his mind as of late and while he had nothing against Watari, he couldn't say that it would bother him much if the octogenarian suddenly passed away.

Behind him, Ryuk said, "Oh, boy."

Raito threw on a pale blue jacket in his room and after an instant's hesitation, took the death note out of his drawer and stuck it in the inside pocket. Probably not the wisest of moves but he was getting paranoid about someone finding it in his absence.

Ryuk was puzzled. "Why're you taking that?" he wanted to know.

"Safety," said Raito curtly and then he went downstairs and stepped out of the house. "I'll be home for lunch," he called to his mother in the kitchen before shutting the door behind him. Putting his hands in his pockets, he made for the subway station, Ryuk hanging over him like an unwanted pet dog.

Well, 'pet' wasn't the word Raito would pick for him. More like..._vicious_.

"Looking forward to the seeing the old man?" Ryuk grinned at him as he got out of the train once they'd reached their destination.

"Hardly," he replied drily. "I have better things to do than wasting my time visiting the caretakers of my mortal enemies."

"You could always do something else, you know."

"I know I could." Raito sighed. "But I'll just go. I don't want dad talking to Watari later and finding out that I didn't."

Ryuk chuckled. It was the chuckle of a grown-up mocking the burden of responsibility that young adults must carry.

And as always, Raito ignored him.

The hospital was a few blocks away from the subway station. He didn't need to take a taxi. He didn't have enough money for it, anyway.

To be honest, he wasn't really looking forward to seeing Watari. As a matter of fact, he was dreading it. Okay, well, dreading would be an exaggeration. Suffice it to say that he wasn't keen at the prospect. There was a chance Watari would wonder aloud why L had made the decision to quit the Kira case, and he was in no mood to discuss the matter.

And worse yet...she might be there.

He could certainly take the opportunity to goad her further, remind her of her incapacitated state while playing the role of a polite, innocent college boy, all the while receiving her metaphorical glares (they were metaphorical because she always looked at everyone through those intense, wide black eyes).

It would beat a date with Misa any day. The actress had sent him a text message on his cell phone shortly after breakfast, asking if he could go out with her on a date tonight since it was Saturday. He'd promptly refused, texting her back to point out that they'd had dinner just two nights ago. She had pouted but thankfully, that was that.

"Are you gonna ask Misa to come or something?" Ryuk asked out of the blue. Or maybe he'd just sensed what Raito was thinking.

Raito made a face. "Why would I want to do that?"

"I don't know. Maybe she would like to see Watari, too."

He snorted. _Yeah, right._

They walked on for another five minutes, crossing the blocks until they arrived at the hospital. Hospitals were always busy but today, it seemed unusually so. He saw nurses carrying huge bouquets of flowers through the hallways, along with teddy bears and big, colorful get-well cards.

Ryuk whistled under his breath. "Wow, would you look at that?"

Raito remained indifferent. This carnival of gifts didn't take him aback; after all, it was a Saturday and so, many people were free to visit their near and dear ones in the hospital. He made his way through the line of nurses, murmuring polite _excuse-me_'s and they parted for him like hair.

Watari's room was down the hall. This part of the floor was quiet enough, the nurses having gone ahead. He was about to open the door when a shadow loomed over him. It most certainly did not belong to Ryuk.

And then, there was the scent of peppermint.

He quickly spun around to find L slouching behind him, her onyx eyes looking directly at his. And behind her was Rem.

"What is Raito-kun doing here?" asked L suspiciously.

For some indiscernible reason, Raito felt like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. But Rem's presence provided him with the confidence that the demon was doing her job correctly. He gathered himself to his full height, intending to tower over the detective menacingly. It didn't work because she was just an inch shorter than him.

He didn't let his surprise show. "Same reason as you," he said. "Visiting Watari."

It didn't look like she believed him. "Any special reason for that?" she inquired with the steeliness of a Spanish Inquisition inquirer.

"Nothing that would interest you, Ryuuzaki," he said. And where was the scent of peppermint coming from?

Eyes full of distrust, she stepped forward to open the door herself, the fragrance getting stronger. It was then that he realized that the peppermint scent was coming from _her_.

This threw him off guard. Of all the months that he had been in her company, working with her, eating with her, sleeping with her (not in that way – that was just distasteful), he had never known her to indulge in such feminine habits. The most that she would do were simple things like clipping her nails, changing her clothes and showering regularly.

But _perfume_...now that was something.

He followed her into the room where Watari sat up in his bed, propped up against the pillows, reading an old issue of Time. He looked up at them with a pleasant smile.

"Ah, Yagami-kun, how nice to see you," he greeted the younger man cheerfully.

Raito forced himself to return the smile, trying to pay no attention to the poisonous sideway glances L was throwing at him...and her scent. "It's good to see you, too, Watari-san. How are you feeling today?"

The old man chuckled, taking the cup of coffee that L handed him, which Raito hadn't noticed before. She must've smuggled it in from the cafeteria. "I'm feeling much better than before, thank you." He took a grateful sip from the plastic cup. "The doctor said that they'd be ready to release me in a day or two."

"How wonderful," said Raito. But this, he understood soon enough, posed new problems. If Watari were to be released soon, then without doubt he'd return to L's service and it wouldn't be long before he figured out that something was wrong.

"Just look at you, Ryuuzaki," Watari was chiding to his young charge, who stopped glaring at Raito for a minute. "A few weeks in the hospital, and you look more sleep-deprived than usual."

Despite herself, L smiled. "There's no need to worry about me, Watari," she assured him. "I'm doing all right."

"But are you?" The old man didn't believe her. "I hope you're eating well. You never listen to me when I tell you to cut back on the sweets and eat some real food -"

"I'm eating fine," she interrupted, a warning in her voice that she didn't want to discuss this.

Raito narrowed his eyes but said nothing. It was understandable that she wouldn't want to talk about her vulnerability in front of her arch-nemesis but Watari hadn't said anything that Raito didn't already know. He'd noticed long before that L had started to look more harangued than she normally did.

"How are your studies going these days, Yagami-kun?" Watari asked pleasantly, making a change of subject. L visibly relaxed. "You must have a lot of catching up to do. And sit down, won't you?"

"Thank you." Raito sat on one of the empty chairs, feeling the press of the Death Note against his heart. He briefly met the raven-haired woman's eyes. "It was pretty hectic in the beginning but the good new is, I've almost caught up now."

Watari nodded and took another sip of coffee. "That's good to hear. Concentrate hard on your studies now. You'll need it if you want to be a detective like your father. And if things go well, Ryuuzaki might have you as her apprentice."

Upon hearing this, L opened her mouth in protest, eyes widening. "I think Yagami-kun is better off working with his father," she said carefully, casting another distrustful glance at him.

"That's okay." Raito made a gesture to show that he wasn't interested. "I'm perfectly happy here." But it was news. So L had actually considered taking him under her wing...

"All right then," the old man dismissed the matter easily. L took a seat on the edge of the bed, lifting her legs up to perch like a bird. Raito would've described her as a crow on other occasions. However now, she reminded him of a hawk.

Watari made more small talk with him, even suggesting that he have some coffee, too – an offer which Raito respectfully declined. It was clear that L had confided nothing about the reality of what was going on to her caretaker, and that gave him a smattering of certainty that she hadn't compromised their agreement.

And he had to admit, he was surprised. He knew that she didn't trust anyone, being too paranoid for that, and if she had ever trusted him, that was over now. He knew also that she would lie and break deals if it suited her. But the fact that she hadn't done anything to that effect so far made him think that she was serious.

And she was serious because he had a genuine hold on her.

_All the better for me, I'd say._

Behind him were Rem and Ryuk, standing like two hunchbacked statues (come to think of it, they stood almost like L). Rem's face held no emotion as always while Ryuk just looked bored.

"Hey, Raito," he said, scratching the back of his head. "When are we going to get out of this stupid joint? All this death and disease is plain depressing."

_Well, you should be one to talk._

"So what are your plans after you get out, Watari-san?" Raito asked, addressing the old man. "The Kira case is over now. Where will you go?" He knew that what he was asking would require Watari to divulge some personal information regarding his whereabouts – something that one would have to be a fool to expect an answer to – but he trusted that the other would reply discreetly, betraying next to nothing.

"I suppose I'll go back home," Watari replied, glancing at L, who remained silent. "Enjoy my last days."

"Watari -" she started with disapproval.

"Isn't L going with you?" Raito asked, pretending that he didn't know. Sometimes playing the innocent fool had its kicks, especially with it goaded the detective, who hand tightened on her slender kneecap.

"I've decided to stay here longer, Raito-kun," she spoke up, as if warning him to stop asking stupid questions that he already knew the answer to. "The Kira case may be over but I've developed a certain..._bond_ with this country."

It took a superhuman effort to stop himself from laughing. "That's good to hear, Ryuuzaki." He nodded his approval, a silent _Yes, I'll stop pissing you off now._

The rest of the visit was spent talking about the other members of the dispatched Kira task force. Raito didn't know a lot about what they were up to but he told Watari whatever he'd heard from his father. And his father talked considerably about the happenings at the police department these days.

It was what had caused the information leak last year in the first place.

"My dad says that at the rate Kira's going, there will be nothing left for the police to do anymore," he said. "Except maybe deal with minor cases."

Watari was disturbed. "Yes, I have been watching the news. Kira seems to be getting stronger by the day. And then, there's his increasing popularity..."

"The masses are idiots," said L, always having been one to speak her mind. "Their ignorance of the truth of the matter and their indifference towards right and wrong have caused them to look upon Kira as a savior. It's despicable."

Raito allowed himself to smirk. He leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and appraised her calmly. "If that's the way you feel, Ryuuzaki," he said, subtle challenge in the tone of his voice, "then why did you stop the Kira investigation?"

Her eyes grew large in disbelief that he'd posed such a question so directly...and in public nonetheless. Then she narrowed her eyes, black orbs gleaming in the dim light of the room. "I've already informed Yagami-kun about my reasons," she said frostily. "He should know that I don't like repeating myself."

"Enough, you two," Watari cut in sternly. "This is no time to pick fights. You're acting like children."

_Score,_ thought Raito jubilantly and L turned away. She might be calm and composed now but her eyes were filled with so much rage and frustration that if the circumstances had been different, then he wouldn't have wanted to be on the receiving end of her ire. Now, though, that only gave him pleasure, to have his enemy at his mercy, to be able to taunt her like this while she couldn't do a thing about it.

_Careful, Raito,_ a small voice in his head chided him. _You might regret it later._

_Yeah, right. What could she possibly do? Throw cake at me?_

He glanced at his watch and got to his feet with a sigh. "Well, it looks like visiting hours are over for today," he declared. "I think we better get going."

She quirked a thin eyebrow at him as if to say _We?_

Ryuk laughed. It was a shame that L couldn't see him yet. Maybe one of these days, Raito would officially introduce the two of them. If she lived long enough, that is.

"Of course, of course." Watari almost looked sad to be left without company now.

L patted him on the hand. "Don't worry," she said. There was a tenderness in her voice that Raito had never heard before. "I'll come back again tomorrow."

"Yes, that you always do. All right, goodbye, then. Ryuuzaki, Yagami-kun. Give your father my regards."

Raito smiled cordially. "I will, Watari-san. Take care."

Once they were out of the room, the demons trailing behind them, L pointedly walked on, leaving him behind. Rem looked confused for a brief instant and then, she followed.

Raito scowled. So she would be in the same room with him only when it was absolutely necessary. Or when he forced his company on her. And that was only to be expected, right?

He went after her. Just as he reached her side, he was once again greeted with that peppermint fragrance that emanated from her body. The scent somehow suited her, he thought, since she loved sweets so much.

"So," he started conversationally, earning a sidelong glare from her. "It's nice to see you outdoors for a change. How are you and Rem getting along?"

"Famously," she replied darkly, "considering the fact that I have her watching me all the time."

He tsked playfully. "I thought it would do you some good to widen your circle of friends, _L_. It'd be a nice change from being cooped up like a chicken all the time."

"Some privacy would be nice, too."

"Don't have such a pessimistic attitude. You can't get everything in life."

"Spoken by someone who does."

"And besides," he went on as if he hadn't heard her. "You need to walk a mile in other people's shoes once in a while, don't you?"

L snorted in disbelief. "What would you know about walking in other people's shoes, Raito-kun?" she murmured. "You're just a murderer trying to justify his actions in the most delusional way conceivable."

He was stung. "Don't call me that," he said sharply. "I refuse to believe that you're so dense, even after I've explained my motives to you."

"And I refuse to believe that you actually expect me to sympathize." She pushed open the door and they were out in daylight, amidst a new crowd of people flurrying past for various activities to enjoy the weekend.

And then, there was still her perfume, sweet and minty, almost heady, for she was standing closer to him now, the crowd having pushed them together. When the people had gone, he turned to her. "What's with the scent?" he wondered aloud.

Her pale, gaunt face darkened, and she turned away, walking onwards. He gritted his teeth. He wasn't the type to usually seek out attention but he hated it when L ignored him.

She looked annoyed upon noticing that he'd caught up with her again. "Do you want something?" she asked irritably. "If you're so curious to know what I've been up to lately, you can just ask Rem. She's more likely to be cooperative than me."

"If I wanted to ask Rem," he said, "I'd just ask her instead of wasting my time with you."

It was her turn to smirk. "I'm glad that you feel the same way as I do about that."

He was about to put forward his question again a few moments later when a young woman stepped in front of them, waving a tiny off-white bottle.

"Excuse me, sir," she said to him, taking him by surprise. "We have an attractive offer..."Somehow, she'd also stopped L, who looked like she'd rather be anywhere but here.

The detective looked at the girl. "How many of there are you?" she said.

Raito was confused, until he smelled peppermint again. Only this time, it was coming from the bottle.

Ah. So that explained it. L must've sampled some of that earlier.

The girl didn't answer L's question. Instead, she went on to tell them that the Boots company had launched a new product recently (peppermint body lotion) and for a limited offer, they could get a medium-sized bottle for five thousand yen.

Now Raito had no interest in these things but he had to admit that five-thousand yen was too much for body lotion, whether it was scented or not. It didn't help matters when the promoter stuck the sample bottle in his face (L smirked with amusement then) and said in wide-eyed desperation, "Would you like to try some it, sir? I can guarantee that you'll like it, and it will make a lovely present for your girlfriend."

The smirk instantly vanished from L's lips and they both stared at the girl, aghast.

"I'm not his -"

"She's not my -"

"Oh." The girl was perplexed, wondering how to handle the embarrassing situation. "Well, you can try it all the same," she said, getting back on track. "This product has become very popular since..."

"All right," L gave in, exasperated. He looked at her. "I'll buy one."

They went inside the shop. Contrary to the impression the promoter had given them, the shop was almost empty, save three other customers and they were all checking out the bath oil aisle instead of the lotion.

_Guess it isn't so popular after all,_ he thought with a roll of his eyes.

He waited patiently beside L as she made her purchase. He frowned to see that she was getting two bottles of the stuff. If they'd been on friendlier terms, he would've told her that she was paying too much for just lotion. Even if he did like the way it smelled.

He blanched. _Now hold on, where did that thought come from?_

"Thank you," the cashier smiled cordially at them, "have a nice day." She pushed the bag towards them. L reached out to take it but he got there first, flashing one of his dazzling smiles.

"Here," he said. "Let me get that for you."

She regarded him with astonishment and distrust, but let him. Once they were out the door, he thrust the bag back at her. Her eyes widened but she took it.

"Too bad," she said, smiling lopsidedly. "I was almost beginning to like you."

He laughed drily. Coming to visit Watari hadn't been such a idea in the first place, he supposed. Even though he'd initially been wary of running into L, it had benefited him, for he'd now discovered some new facts about her.

For one, she was keeping up her end of the agreement. And it was probably on her permission that Watari was going back to wherever he'd come from. He was curious know what _wherever_ was but he'd find out soon enough. Another excellent thing was, Rem really was keeping tabs on L wherever she went. Otherwise, why would the detective have mention the need for privacy?

He wondered if they ever talked. But seeing as how Rem was taciturn and L was taciturn, he didn't consider it likely. They would both probably carry on with their daily activities, trying to keep out each other's ways as much as possible. And that was fine, as long she didn't do anything that would harm her. Or those she cared about.

L's voice broke into his thoughts. "Does Raito-kun have nothing better to do than follow me around like a dog?"

He glowered at her, hating the comparison. That was more suitable for Ryuk, not him.

"Come now, Ryuuzaki. Don't be like that," he chided her mockingly. "We're friends, aren't we? You said so yourself . Or were you just lying?"

"Raito-kun sure is innovative." She took a turn at the left and he did the same. They crossed the street together. "He can give a whole new meaning to the word."

He clenched his teeth, giving her the desired result of silence. He followed her into her hotel, the bellboy and receptionist nodding a polite greeting to them, familiarity lighting up their gaze when they saw L. It sort of amazed him. He knew that she wasn't the type to let herself be seen frequently in public but these commoners had recognized her. Then again, she had the kind of appearance that was hard to forget it.

"You'll be coming up then?"

"I will," he said briskly. They got into the elevator together, the detective edging away with him as though she would be with anyone else but him. Between them, Ryuk was trying to strike up a conversation with Rem, an effort she seemed to consider wise to ignore. If there had been no other people with them, he would have asked the female spirit some questions about what L was doing these days, but he didn't think he would get any interesting replies.

Indeed, she must mostly lock herself away from the world and watch Kira's further advancement on the news, all the while bemoaning that she was helpless to stop him.

He had the sudden, inexplicable desire to ask her who those boys were, the ones who'd been in that picture, what her attachment to them was. From the moment he'd met her, he'd deduced that she wasn't the kind of person to sacrifice herself for anyone (her refusal to appear on TV in accordance to Kira's demands was proof enough of that). But she must have some special affection for these boys to turn her back on the most challenging case she'd had the chance to solve, one that she'd been working on for a year.

_Who are they?_ wondered Raito. _Can they be her brothers? Her children?_

Inadvertently, this thought made him scowl. She had always acted like such a loner with limited capacity for social interaction, though she could be quite perceptive as well as persuasive when it suited her (take that time when she'd wanted him to act like he was attracted to Misa – a nauseating thought in hindsight), that it was highly unlikely that she'd grown up with close contact with other people. As far as he could tell, Watari was her only confidant. And now that he had her in the center of his palm, she must've lost even that, being truly alone with no one to talk to.

And besides, she was so odd (and so young), so awkward in the society of others that he couldn't see why any man would want to sire children with her.

He felt a sudden tightness in his chest. And it wasn't coming from the Death Note.

The lift stopped at her floor and they walked out, an interesting mix of human and spirit. Rem still had that impassive expression on her face (or rather, she looked wary) and Ryuk had now grown curious about what would happen next.

L took out the electronic key from the pockets of her jeans, hanging loosely from her thin waist (she'd proven him wrong in that it wasn't possible to become thinner than she already was) and slid it down the slot. The light turned green. She threw a narrow, baleful glance over her shoulder and then went inside. He and the demons followed.

The lights had turned on when she placed the key in another little box, the whir of the air-conditioner starting. The room was already cool, but her attitude made it colder. She kicked off her sneakers and walked to the center of the sitting room to perch on a chair. Then she reached into a small box of chocolate-covered donuts and began to eat one, all the while pretending that he wasn't even there.

He was piqued.

Rem stood at one side, this time looking at him expectantly, patiently waiting for his questions. Ryuk, for a change, was silent, still grinning.

"What is L's recent conduct?" Raito asked Rem. "Have you seen her do anything to break the terms of our agreement?"

From the corner of his eye, he saw Ryuuzaki pause in the middle of eating her second donut, her delicate jaw clenching with controlled rage. Then she looked away and swallowed, choosing to take no part in the inquiry. Her silence was so stubborn, her refusal to give him the pleasure of a reaction was so strong that a part of him longed to wrench it free from her. And he would get something to that effect soon enough. It would do her no good to be passive.

"I have seen her do nothing to rouse suspicion," said Rem impassively. "My reports are the same as Ryuk's." (Raito could almost see the twitch in L's ear as she heard the name of the other demon.) "L keeps to herself mostly and when she goes out, she makes the occasional, harmless conversation with some hotel employees."

"Does she call anyone?" he pressed, trying to get more details.

"She makes calls and receives calls. Nothing of importance."

He nodded, pleased...and for some weird reason, _relieved_. "Very well, Rem."

L spoke up. "Does that satisfy Raito-kun?" she bit out. "Perhaps he would then like to make himself scarce and let me have some peace." She got up from her chair and went over to the coffee table to pour herself some tea, drawing the sugar bowl closer to her.

He watched her from where he stood. Which was still near the door, this rendering the distance between them too far. He took a few steps closer to her. Ah, yes, much better.

"Don't be such a brat, Ryuuzaki," he said to her sharply. "Remember what I said about being in someone else's shoes?"

She gave a little dry laugh. "I try not to," she said under her breath, and took a sip of tea. When finding that it was not sweet enough, she dropped in additional lumps of sugar, an act he had witnessed daily during the three months that they were chained together. For the umpteenth time, her eating habits chummed him up.

His mind drifted back to that smell of peppermint coming from her, the smell that had faded a tad by now. Her shopping bag lay discarded on the sofa. Would she open it after he was gone?

He smiled at her icily. "You shouldn't be so nasty with me, L," he warned. "I can make you regret it if you're not careful."

"Hmm, then you've stooped to the level of a badly-written villain in a James Bond movie," she retorted as she stirred her tea and took another sip. What was it with this woman and her food?

He took a few more steps towards her, another press of the notebook against his chest giving him a surge of confidence. "I'm not a villain," he clarified. "I'm only trying to make the world a better place."

"Yes, I'm sure you are." Another sip. The sound was starting to grate Raito's nerves. "There's no need to give me a renewed lecture on that since you told me before. And repetitions really bore me."

A spark of fury ignited in him. Who did this fool think she was talking to? He clenched his fist. "Perhaps you need a reminder since you forget your place," he threatened in a low voice.

She remained undaunted. "My place?" she lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, right. I'm supposed to be thankful that you spared me. That _is_ true." She raised the teacup to her lips thoughtfully. "I still can't help wondering, Raito, what it was that made you decide against killing me."

The question was so unexpected that it struck him dumb. He hadn't seen that coming, that honest desire to know why he'd had a change of heart. And he'd also asked himself the same thing. Over and over.

"Not that I'm ungrateful, mind you," L elaborated flippantly. "I was just genuinely curious. Given that you are finally restored to a place of power, it would be natural for you to swiftly destroy your enemy, i.e. me. Why did you keep me alive?"

He recovered quickly enough to grimace at her. "I've already told you," he said impatiently, "I wanted you to see my perspective and come over to my side."

She nodded. "That you did. And I also told you that I'd never change my mind, right?"

"Yeah." He eyed her warily. "But I believe that you will...in time."

She returned his gaze. "And what if I don't?" she wanted to know. "What are you going to do then?"

Her question made him uncomfortable, causing that tightness in his chest again. _What then, what then?_ It whispered to him evilly, nearly making him lose his demeanor. He shrugged, hiding his unease. "I'm sure we'll figure out something," he said. "I plan to deal with that when the time comes."

"Is that so?" She looked doubtful. "I know you, Kira, and I know that you calculate every move with extreme caution. You try to plan things as far ahead as possible, even though you can act impulsively sometimes." She smirked at the memory of Lind L. Taylor. "But with me, surely you must have something better up your sleeve than 'I'll deal with it when the time comes'," she quoted him mockingly.

Raito shrugged again. "If I do have further plans, then you can hardly expect me to divulge them to you, can you?" He effectively turned the tables on her.

"Perhaps so," she acquiesced with a hint of regret. Maybe she'd hoped to get something out of him. "You'd make a very stupid villain if you did."

He rose to the bait, against his better judgment. "I'm not a villain!" he snapped angrily. Frustration bubbled in him like a brew in a witch's cauldron.

"No?" she said. "Then what do you call yourself for taking the law into your own hands for your twisted ends?"

He was starting to wish that he _had_ killed her. "I told you that I'm using the Death Note to make this world a better place!" he snarled. "I'm getting rid of all the people who don't deserve to live, the ones who make this world a rotten place! Tell me, what's so _twisted_ about that?"

She laughed in harsh disbelief. "What's so twisted about that?" she echoed. "Just listen to yourself, Raito. You sound like a deranged sociopath." She shook her head and he was surprised to find....sadness in her hooded eyes. "You don't really understand, do you?"

He snarled at her. "It's you who doesn't understand, Ryuuzaki." He spat the words at her like venom. "You're the one who can't see the reality of things. I give you chance after chance and you keep shooting me down."

"That's because I haven't been corrupted by power the way you have."

It was Raito's turn to laugh. "Corrupted?" he scoffed. "This coming from someone who takes opportunities to bend the law as she sees fit. And you say that I take the law into my own hands. I don't care about power, L. You should know that by now." The brush of the Death Note against his heart gave him a sudden idea. He reached inside his jacket – L tensed visibly – and brought out the black notebook.

Her eyes bulged in alarm. "What are you going to do with that?"

A cold smile. "Just wait and see." Uninvited, he took a comfortable seat on the couch and switched on the television.

Sensing what he was about to do, L sat straight in her chair, panic rising in her voice. "Put that infernal thing away!"

"No," he refused, smiling coolly as though this were a game to him. "You were so curious a few minutes ago and you said power corrupted me. I thought you should get the privilege to see what this power can do. Firsthand, Ryuuzaki." He spoke like it was an honor.

Her knuckles turned white as her hands gripped the armrests tightly. "Raito-" she began.

"_Quiet_. Just watch me." Lucky for him, the news had just begun. And even better, the anchorwoman had started off with the story of the trial of a war criminal who had evidently raped and pillaged during a civil war in an African country. Due to the countless accounts of eyewitnesses, his guilt was obvious; nevertheless, the man would stand for trial in three days.

"Just watch me, L," said Raito again, whipping out a pen, and taking in the image of the man's face on the screen, he wrote down the name.

The detective stared at him, speechless, mouth gaping like a goldfish. It was really a funny sight. Ryuk's laughter told him so. Now all they had to do was wait and see.

There was a journalist doing a live broadcast from the area where the war criminal had been placed under house arrest. The whole thing reminded him of the first time he'd written in the notebook, skeptically testing the waters. It was a pleasant trip down memory lane.

Within a minute, the results had appeared. There was a panicked look on the journalist's face as she said that the man had collapsed inside his room without explanation and it looked like he was dead...

With a confident smirk, Raito switched off the TV and turned his eyes on L, who had gone the color of white sheets. She'd been shocked enough when she'd seen Rem, but witnessing the workings of the notebook firsthand had drained all the blood from her face.

"Well?" he prompted playfully, "what do you think? Impressive, isn't it?"

She was too shocked to say anything; she simply stared at him. He had to admit that it was really something to see her so shaken, no sharp observations or comments to make.

"Imagine what anyone else would do if they got hold of such a thing," he leaned forward, speaking conspiratorially. "They'd use it for personal gain. I've proven that I don't care about that, and that I'm the worthiest person to use the Death Note."

Still silence.

He frowned inwardly. "Maybe I should write your name here, huh, L?" He held his pen ready on the blank space, poised like a sword over a bare neck.

L's eyes went wider, and for a moment, he saw the woman on the rooftop, drenched in rain, looking so lost and vulnerable, and he felt a pang in his heart.

_Enough of this_.

"Or maybe I'll just spare you again so that you see," he said quietly, closing the notebook and putting away the pen, "that I really am trying..."

She finally roused from her stupor when his cell phone rang, piercing through the heavy atmosphere. It was his mother.

"Raito, lunch will be ready in a few minutes," said Mrs Yagami, sounding worried. "Are you coming?"

He sighed. "Yeah, mom, I'm on my way." He got to his feet, pushing the notebook into his jacket pocket. He hung up and to his astonishment, L was staring hard at him, onyx eyes aflame.

"Get out," she said.

He blinked and then his gaze morphed into serpentine slits. "Was about to," he shot back and made for the door. Ryuk followed.

Raito opened the door and stopped, looking at her for the final time. "Just think about it, Ryuuzaki," he advised.

This time, her words were spoken more lividly. "_Get out!_"

Once they were on the street, heading towards home, Ryuk leaned towards the young man. "That was quite a show you put up," he remarked. "You could tell that it really got to her."

Raito smiled in response. "That was my intention, Ryuk." His hands were back in his pockets. "Throw her off guard and strip down her defenses. Soon, she'll be won over." And he believed that. L might be stubborn now but she was also vulnerable, her pride having taken a blow when he'd forced her to stop her investigation. She would think about what she'd seen him do and hopefully, pretty soon, she would make a decision in his favor. For now, he could take his mind off of her and relax and think about other things.

But even as he walked home, the scent of peppermint hung over him like a mist, haunting his senses long after the distance between him and its wearer had grown.

A/: I borrowed the idea (with permission) of Raito threatening to kill L with the death note from another fic. It was a mutual exchange because she 'borrowed' the basic idea in this fic :). Hope you liked it and please review.


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